More than 70 knives handed in to Cumbria Police including WW1 German Bayonet

More than seventy knives, including a WW1 German bayonet, have been handed in to Cumbria Police as part of an amnesty.

Operation Sceptre has allowed people to anonymously drop off various blades to ensure as many knives are off the streets of Cumbria.

Cumbria Police has also increased the number of stop and searches they carry out, with five people arrested for carrying an offensive weapon in public.

Chief Inspector Steve Hunter said: "So we've got a range of knives that have been surrendered over the county over the national week of action.

"As you can see, there's a broad range from everyday kitchen knives right through to some large ornamental swords really quite heavy and substantial swords and knives with serrated edges which have absolutely no place on the streets or in society. So also there's a real, real broad range of knives that have been handed in."

Chief Inspector Hunter believes there are many reasons why people would come forward to hand knives into the police throughout the amnesty.

He said: "There are a wide range of reasons why people might become involved and might decide to to surrender the knives.

"Perhaps peer pressure, influence from from their friends and family. The advertisements and the promotions of the campaign that we do both locally and nationally as part of Operation Scepter and we also develop some in-school educational visits as well by child and in policing teams and our neighbourhood policing teams to go into schools and educate young people about the dangers of carrying knives.

"So collectively, all those influences lead to what we've got today."

CI Hunter was quick to reassure people that Cumbria is safe place to live and work.

He said: "Thankfully, knife crime is not a big issue in Cumbria. Cumbria is a really safe place to live and to visit.

"Obviously, there's a substantial amount of knives here that have been surrendered today, which is a positive, whether they have been handed in by members of the public, whether they've been handed in by school teachers, for example, or by individuals that have had a change of heart.

"It's a really positive step being handed in. We can't become complacent, though. So whilst it's a safe place to live, it's really important that we take positive steps to engage with the public, promote national campaigns, which is upset, and also continue that hard work and proactivity throughout the year."

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