Record number of weapons surrendered in amnesty

A record number of weapons have been handed in during a weapons amnesty, police have said.

Cambridgeshire Police said swords and large knives were among the 370 items surrendered across the county.

Around 100 items were normally handed in at other amnesties held in the county, the force said.

Of the weapons surrendered, 227 were handed in at Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough, 139 at Parkside in Cambridge and four in South Cambridgeshire.

Insp Karl Secker said: “This is a fantastic result and clear evidence there is an ongoing need to provide people with an opportunity to surrender weapons.

“Thank you to everyone who handed items in and to the officers who supported the week of action.

“We will continue to do all we can to tackle knife crime as we aim to make the county even safer."

Police and Crime Commissioner, Darryl Preston, said: “If we manage to take just one knife off the streets, we could potentially save a life."

He called the amnesty results "encouraging" but said it was "essential we continue to work together to prevent this abhorrent crime from happening in the first place".

Despite the record-breaking weapon surrender the force said possession of weapon offences had decreased 7% in the last year across Cambridgeshire.

As part of the amnesty officers also visited schools, tested retailers, conducted weapon sweeps and arrested high-risk offenders, resulting in weapons being seized.

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

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