Northumbria Police take hundreds of knives off the streets during amnesty

A few of the weapons seized by Northumbria Police during its operation to reduce the number of knives on the streets. Credit: Northumbria Police

Hundreds of knives have been taken off the street as part of an operation to reduce violent crime.

A total of 440 knives were dropped into surrender bins as part of an amnesty, which was backed by campaigner Tanya Brown, whose son Connor was fatally stabbed in 2019.

Another 30 knives were seized during searches carried out by Northumbria Police as part of Operation Sceptre.

A total of 141 people were arrested, 18 of which were for knife related offences, and 23 weapons sweeps were carried out.

Connor Brown was fatally stabbed in 2019. His mum Tanya now campaigns against knife crime. Credit: Family

Chief Superintendent Helena Barron, the force’s serious violence and knife crime lead, said: “Knives ruin lives and there’s no escaping that fact. By carrying a knife, you run the risk of destroying multiple lives, including your own, and we can’t spread that message far enough.

“As police we are determined to do all we can to tackle knife crime, but we know we can’t do this alone as such a societal issue really needs a joined-up community response.

“But that’s what’s great about these results. They show what can be done when we work in conjunction with our partners to get into schools and educate children and young people and listen to their concerns."

A number of education events have been taking place, held with schools, and working with the Youth Justice Service and Integrated Offender Management team.

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