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'Horrific weapons' among haul of knives collected in police amnesty

BBC Zombie knives handed in during the amnestyBBC
Police officers described some of the knives handed in during the amnesty as "really horrific"

More than 700 blades, including "zombie knives", have been handed in to police during a week-long amnesty.

Humberside Police said the haul ranged from kitchen knives to "really horrific" weapons.

Knife bins were placed outside police stations across the Humber region as part of Operation Sceptre, a national scheme to tackle knife crime.

Supt Jenny Bristow said it was "always a surprise" to see the number of weapons surrendered.

She added: "Knife crime can have a devastating impact on communities. Taking these weapons away means they cannot find their way into the hands of someone who might use it to cause harm to another person."

Some of the weapons taken off the streets included those surrendered in the market town of Snaith in East Yorkshire.

Becki Thomas / BBC Pile of knives on floorBecki Thomas / BBC
The weapons which have been handed in will now be destroyed, according to Humberside Police

One Snaith resident said it was a surprise to see the types of knives that had been handed in where they lived.

"I think it's shocking. It's bad they are so readily available," they said.

Another said: "It doesn't make me feel good that people are walking away with knives like that."

As well as knives, other weapons handed in included knuckle-dusters and baseball bats, police said.

Officers also carried out dozens of stop and searches during the week-long action.

One of the weapons surrendered
As well as the weapons amnesty, police visited hundreds of shops to speak to staff about the sale of knives

Additionally, 32 people were arrested, with eight of them being charged for weapon-related offences.

Meanwhile, staff at more than 400 shops in the region were spoken to about the sale of knives.

Supt Bristow said: "We also engaged with multiple schools across our force area, raising awareness of a whole host of crimes relating to weapons and carrying knives.

"Not only this, but we have been conducting targeted patrolling in areas known to have local issues, along with weapon sweeps and using our knife arch in public areas."

Police said the confiscated knives had been sent away to be destroyed and that people could bring weapons to them to be disposed of at any time.

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