199 knives seized across Buckinghamshire in TVP's operation Sceptre

Thames Valley Police has conducted a series of activities in support of Op Sceptre, the national week of action to challenge and reduce the threat of knife crime.
199 knives seized across Buckinghamshire in TVP's operation Sceptre199 knives seized across Buckinghamshire in TVP's operation Sceptre
199 knives seized across Buckinghamshire in TVP's operation Sceptre

As part of a national knife crime week of action that ran from Monday 16 September to Sunday 22 September, knife amnesty bins were placed into 16 police stations across the Thames Valley.

This was to prevent unwanted knives from finding their way onto the streets.

In total 515 knives and bladed articles were handed in following the 686 during the operational week in March 2019.

A number of other proactive activities were undertaken across the force to tackle knife crime.

This included 101 inputs to schools by officers and 108 test purchase operations carried out in partnership with Trading Standards, cadets and police volunteers. Overall, achieving an 88 per cent pass rate.

Superintendent Stan Gilmour, the officer responsible for coordinating Operation Sceptre at Thames Valley Police, said: “This week of action has been a success and I am pleased that more knives and bladed articles have now been taken off our streets.

“In the near future we plan to introduce permanent knife bins at some of our police stations, so knives can be handed in and safely disposed of all year round.

“Thank you to members of the public, partners and volunteers for supporting this campaign so positively. Tackling violent crime and the exploitation of young people remains a priority for Thames Valley Police and we will continue to work collaboratively to safeguard our communities.”

If you need to report a knife related crime to the Police, please report it to us online via our website, call 101 or dial 999 in an emergency if there is an immediate danger to life.