Knife amnesty launched in Telford

Superintendent Tom Harding launched the month long campaign at Telford's Malinsgate Police Station yesterday morning.

The first bins have been put out at stations across the region, including at Telford and Shrewsbury.

Now those with weapons are being invited to drop them off anonymously so that they can be recycled.

The amnesty has been launched as part of national campaign called Operation Sceptre. It follows the sentencing of Declan Graves, 20, of Dymchurch Road in Liverpool, who was ordered to serve life in prison, with a minimum term of 20 years, after he stabbed 16-year-old Michael Warham from Bootle through the heart on the street in Meole Brace.

Warham was stabbed several times and died three days after he was attacked in August 2016.

The amnesty has received support from officers across the force, including Chief Inspector Sharon Cannings, who said: "We want people who carry knives to stop and think about the potential consequences for others and themselves. For the next four weeks people will have the opportunity to surrender those knives anonymously.

“The decision to do so might be the most important decision they ever make.”

Despite knife crime being relatively low across the West Mercia region, the campaign has been launched across Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester in an effort to get those who carry weapons to think about the potential consequences of carrying a blade.

The move has been supported by the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, who said it was just one of many ways in which West Mercia Police is committed to tackling violent crime.

"I am committed to ensuring they have the resources to keep our communities safe and secure,” he said.

"While we are fortunate that knife crimes are rare in our communities, just one incident is one too many, and the consequences can be devastating."

Anyone who wants to hand over a blade can drop it off at police stations around the region including the main stations in Telford and Shrewsbury.

Those who want to hand in weapons can do so anonymously, and will not be expected to give their names or any other details.

Knives handed in that are suspected of being involved in a crime may be examined for evidence.

Any knives seized during the amnesty will go towards making a plinth for the county's famous Knife Angel sculpture.

The 26ft angel sculpture has been made from more than 100,000 knives already collected by police forces around the country.

It is planned to stand the angel in the grounds of the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, overlooking the A5.

Clive Knowles, of the centre, has been petitioning the Mayor of London’s office in a bid to get permission for the monument to be displayed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in the capital.

However, his appeal has so far been rejected by the London authorities.

The long-running Knife Angel project “Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife” was run by the British Ironwork Centre in conjunction with police forces across the whole of England.

Earlier this year the project was jointly awarded the Rotary International Peace Award alongside Médecins Sans Frontières which works to alleviate suffering and protect life in war zones and recently helping refugees crossing the Mediterranean.