Lancashire Violence Reduction Network and Lancashire Police take part in national knife crime initiative
Lancashire Police is joining other police forces in supporting a national week of intensive police action against knife crime which starts today.
Running from 26th April until 2nd May, Operation Sceptre takes place nationally twice a year and supports the work that Lancashire Police does to ensure people across the county feel safe from knife crime.
The initiative sees officers working with partner organisations to conduct a week-long range of activities including visiting local shops to give advice on the laws on selling knives; conducting knife sweeps in public places; using metal detecting arches and wands in public places to identify people who are carrying knives; and visiting schools to provide education to young people, with an exciting link with a well-known local knife crime educator.
Operation Sceptre links closely with Lancashire Police’s longer-term Operation Edge initiative, which focuses on reducing and preventing violent crime involving knives and bladed weapons.
Since its inception two years ago, Operation Edge has seen over 7,000 knives and other weapons removed from Lancashire’s streets. This has been driven by a combination of prevention, enforcement and intelligence-led work with some aspects focused on hot-spot areas and others taking place within wider communities.
Inspector Dave Oldfield of Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, said:
“As we come out of pandemic restrictions and our lives get back to normal we urge anyone who carries a knife to stop and think before putting a knife in their pocket. Think about how your life could be changed if your knife was used against you and think about the long-term impact that could have on your family.
“It’s illegal to carry a knife without a reasonable purpose and it’s illegal to use a knife in a threatening way. People can and do end up in prison.
“Fortunately, at less than 1%, knife crime is low in Lancashire compared with other parts of the country. But, one incident is one too many and we are committed to doing everything we can to tackle the root causes of serious violence, together with partner organisations, to ensure that people in Lancashire feel safe.”
