Positive results after crack down on knife crime in Devon

Devon & Cornwall Police has taken part in Operation Sceptre, a national initiative to tackle knife crime.

Operation Sceptre ran from Monday 13 to Sunday 19, November, 2023, and involved all 43 forces taking part in intensified efforts to crack down on knife-enabled crime and violence.

The themes for this phase of Sceptre were on online knife retailers and responsible selling, raising awareness to parents and caregivers to ensure they are aware of what packages are being sent to young people at home and educating young people about the dangers of knife carrying.

For the first time, the Force introduced the use of a mobile knife arch to engage with the public and provide education to prevent knife carrying.

In addition to the use of the knife arch, activity for the week across Devon & Cornwall included test purchases of knives with local retailers, targeting known knife carriers and providing knife surrender bins at various locations across the two counties.

The Force was pleased to achieve the following results:

• 172 knives removed from circulation (including 152 from knife surrender bins, 5 from weapons sweeps, 15 from seizures)
• 35 school and college visits
• 20 retailer visits
• 10 addresses visited where purchase of offensive weapons had been traced to
• 5 stop and searches
• 3 knife arch engagement events in Exeter, Plymouth and Torquay (over 1,100 people went through the arch)

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Parker of Devon & Cornwall Police said: “You can see from these results that we take knife crime very seriously. In addition to the enforcement activity undertaken, we have carried out lots of prevention work through our engagement and education efforts.

“We remain in a position as a force where knife carrying is the exception rather than the norm – however, continued awareness raising and targeted activity helps to challenge perceptions of knife crime and identifies and prosecutes those who cause harm.

“By providing education and engagement in schools and colleges we hope to prevent young people from carrying knives. It’s a common misconception that carrying a knife makes you safer, but this isn’t true and could in fact put young people in more danger.

“Devon and Cornwall remains one of the safest places to live in the country and the Force will continue to provide a robust approach to knife-enabled crime to keep our communities safe.”