Clarke announces nationwide knife amnesty

A nationwide knives amnesty will be begin at the end of May, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has announced.

The amnesty, which will run between May 24 and June 30, will target those who carry knives and offensive weapons and urge them to hand the weapons in.

Police forces throughout England, Wales and Scotland will take part in the amnesty, which will backed by a police enforcement campaign to emphasise the message that carrying a knife is not acceptable.

Announcing the amnesty, Mr Clarke said: "Every weapon handed in during the amnesty will be a weapon that cannot be used in crime. Anyone with a knife, or other offensive weapon that might be used to cause fear and distress on our streets should take this chance to get rid of it. Encouraging people to hand in knives is part of our overall strategy to make communities safer."

Tony Melville, ACPO lead on knife crime and Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We recognise there are many lawful ways in which knives can be used, but this is an opportunity to hand in knives and sharply bladed instruments that people no longer need to own; to reduce the opportunity for people to commit crime, particularly violence whilst in possession of a knife."

Scotland's amnesty will also mark the start of a year-long Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign, organised by the Scottish Executive, Violence Reduction Unit and Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said that people who hand over knives to the police during the amnesty would not be prosecuted for possession of the weapon. She also highlighted research conducted after the Operation Blade amnesty in Strathclyde in the early Nineties, which showed that murder rates dropped by 26% in the following year. More than 4,500 weapons were handed in during the four-week amnesty.

Ms Jamieson said: "A knife amnesty alone cannot provide a long-term solution to tackling violence. However, alongside work to challenge the underlying culture of violence and 'acceptability' of carrying knives among some young men, it will support our efforts to create safer daily lives for the people of Scotland.

"I now call on all those people who carry a knife - often in the mistaken belief that it will give them some form of protection - to think about the consequences. Coupled with drink or drugs on a Saturday night, these weapons all too often lead to bloodshed. Use the amnesty as an opportunity to put this behind you and stop more young people being killed or maimed through such thuggery. Respect can only truly be earned by the way someone lives their lives - free of crime - not by what they carry in their pocket."

(KMcA)