Shocking haul of weapons handed in during Cambridgeshire police’s week-long amnesty

More than 270 weapons including large knives, knuckle dusters and swords are off the streets after being handed into Cambridgeshire police during a countywide amnesty.

The items were surrendered at amnesty bins in Cambridge and Peterborough, as well as at events in Cambourne, Sawston, Histon and Ely.

Police said some of the 272 weapons are illegal to own, even if kept on private property, due to changes to the Offensive Weapons Act, which bans items such as knuckledusters, extendable batons, curved swords and zombie knives.

Officers also visited numerous schools across the county during the week-long amnesty event, taking part in extra patrols in hotspot areas and conducted weapons sweeps in an effort to locate any hidden items in public spaces.

The initiative was part of ‘Operation Guardian’ – the constabulary’s ongoing strategy to combat knife crime in the county, which is an increasing problem, with knife offences on Cambridgeshire’s street up six per cent last year.

Inspector Karl Secker said: “To have more than 270 weapons handed in is a huge success. This represents a significant increase in items surrendered compared to recent amnesties and I’d like to thank everyone who took part.

“There are now fewer weapons on the streets of Cambridgeshire – helping to make our neighbourhoods even safer.

“Tackling knife crime is one of our priorities. It’s vital we continue our efforts to engage with young people and do all we can to combat the issue."

It is illegal to:

- sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old.

- carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it’s a knife with a folding blade three inches long (7.62 cm) or less, such as a Swiss Army knife

- carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife

- use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston said: “I am pleased to see so many people voluntarily removing knives from our streets – this is good news for us all. I have personally spent time speaking to young people in schools across the county about the dangers involved in carrying these potentially lethal weapons and remain committed to tackling serious violence - including knife crime - with partners to address this issue.”

For more information on the Offensive Weapons Act or to access a list of the banned items, visit the dedicated section of the force’s website at https://bit.ly/3BZqkmb.