More than 300 knives have been taken off the streets locally as part of Operation Sceptre, a national week-long initiative to tackle knife crime.
Officers from West Division, which covers the areas of Lancaster and Morecambe as well as Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, carried out a range of both operational and proactive engagement work throughout the week.
Activity included:
- Emptying the divisions seven surrender bins, where 337 knives were recovered
- 99 stop searches, in which three arrests were made due to possession of a knife
- School visits, engaging with over 8,500 students
- 24 retailer visits – nine stores failed a test purchase operation and will be subject to further action
- Six weapon sweeps in public areas such as local parks
Sergeant Dan Whitaker, from Lancashire’s Violence Reduction Network, said: “It’s been another successful Operation Sceptre for West Division, and we’re ensuring that we continue to spread the word about knife crime.
“Op Sceptre holds an important message, and we will continue the work to make West Division a safe place to be.
‘’I’d encourage people to make themselves familiar with their local knife bins, and to report any information regarding knife crime to us.”
You can find your local knife surrender bins at:
Lancaster
Under Carlisle Bridge, Morecambe Road, Lancaster, LA1 2RX
Morecambe
Near youth centre, Central Drive, Morecambe, LA4 4DE
You can report by calling 101, reporting online or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Call 999 in emergencies.
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