Police in Cheshire made arrests and seized weapons in a week-long operation to crackdown on knife crime.
The action was part of national Operation Sceptre targeting the impact of knife crime in communities throughout England and Wales.
Officers and PCSOs in Cheshire identified and pursued suspected knife crime offenders, took dangerous weapons off the streets and educated people about the dangers of carrying weapons.
In total, 42 arrests were made, 48 knives and another 226 weapons were collected via 15 surrender bins situated across Cheshire.
Officers conducted 56 weapons sweeps, stopped and searched 156 people, and executed nine warrants in relation to knife crime,
They also called at 14 homes to hand out Knife Crime Warning Notices to people believed to be habitual knife carriers.
And they visited 46 retailers that sell knives to give product placement advice and ensure age-restricted sales policies are being followed.
Bleeding Control Kits were given to community venues across the county, including police stations, shops and shopping centres, theatres, pubs, recreation centres, sports clubs, cafés, parks, railway stations and community centres.
In the Crewe and Nantwich local policing unit, a number of knives, a knuckle duster and a BB gun were seized following a series of dawn raids.
They led to a 20-year-old man being arrested and a 40-year-old man being questioned under caution after voluntarily attending a police station.
Thirteen extra Bleeding Control Kits were distributed, including at Crewe Railway Station and other key town centre locations.
Several knife sweeps were conducted and knife crime presentations were given to numerous schools and colleges in and around Crewe.
Chief Inspector Sarah Heath, who is Cheshire Constabulary’s knife crime lead, said: “Nationally, knife crime is a growing problem, and the week-long Operation Sceptre campaign is an initiative that the force is always more than happy to support.
“We were severely restricted in terms of the work we could do during last year’s two weeks of action for Operation Sceptre, with them having fallen when the country was in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With us now out of lockdown and certain restrictions having eased, there were more engagement and enforcement options available to us during the latest week of action.
“We grasped these with both hands to tackle knife crime across Cheshire.
“We have a multi-faceted approach to tackling knife crime and take the issue extremely seriously, with officers working day and night to protect communities.
“We are proud of the fact that Cheshire has a lower rate of knife crime than most other counties in England, with the number of knife-related offences committed in the county having decreased by 24 per cent from the end of March 2020 to the end of March 2021.
“When people carry knives, it is only a matter of time before someone suffers life-changing injuries or is killed, and if you carry a knife then you are much more likely to be involved in a knife crime.
“As all the statistics show, carrying a knife doesn’t make you safer.
“Our goal is to achieve weapons-free streets throughout the county and we endeavour – through education, awareness and action – to make Cheshire an area where no-one carries a knife, or feels that there is a reason to do so.
“However, the police cannot achieve this goal on our own. Knife crime is a societal problem that cannot be solved without the support of the whole society.
“If you have any information regarding knife crimes, or those who carry weapons, please let us know.
“If you know someone who carries a knife, reporting it to the police could be enough to save a life.”
To report any type of crime involving weapons, call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Information can also be passed to the force online via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report
Anyone who knows someone that carries a knife can report it to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously
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