More than 1,500 blades, including kitchen knives and a wartime cutthroat razors, from the city’s streets have been binned during a month-long amnesty by Greater Manchester Police.
The figures from the Bin the Blade campaign were released today after counting the weapons anonymously surrendered at 11 drop-off points across the region.
It was the first such amnesty in Greater Manchester for nine years, and Detective Chief Inspector Debbie Dooley of the Xcalibre Task Force was pleased with local people’s efforts to curb knife crime.
BINNED BLADES: The collection will be used to build an angel statue in memory of lives lost to knife crime
“This year’s knife surrender was a remarkable success and I am delighted that we have managed to remove over 1,500 weapons from the streets of Greater Manchester,” she said.
“The number of incidents of knife crime in Greater Manchester remains comparatively low, with numbers falling year on year.
“However, the incidents that do occur have a devastating impact so, whilst the surrender may be over, our commitment to protecting our communities from knife crime is not.
“We will continue to work hard to make the streets safer and will take strong action against anyone who carries a knife and believes they are above the law.”
Bin the Blade followed a firearms surrender held last year, in which 225 weapons and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition were handed in across the region.
The campaign, held between 8am February 1 and 11.59pm on February 28, saw 11 bins set up across Greater Manchester where people could relinquish unlawfully-held or unwanted knives so they did not fall into the wrong hands.
There were bins placed in North Manchester, South Manchester, Salford, Tameside, Stockport, Bolton, Wigan, Trafford, Bury, Rochdale and Oldham.
The collection included kitchen knives, swords, axes and hunting blades as well as more unusual weapons such as cutthroat razors from the war, ornamental daggers and a small knife in the shape of a shotgun cartridge.
The knives will be used to create an angel statue between 15 and 24 feet tall in memory of the lives lost to knife crime.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Jim Battle said: “Knife crime causes misery to victims, their loved ones and the wider communities so it’s good news that so many weapons have been handed in and are no longer on the streets of Greater Manchester.
“I want to thank the public for supporting this amnesty and working with the police to make our neighbourhoods safer.”
Police figures showed a slight increase in offences involving blades across Greater Manchester, with 1,673 crimes recorded last year, up from 1,603 in 2013.
SHOTGUN BLADE: This little knife was one of the more unusual objects collected during the campaign
DCI Dooley added: “We are extremely proud of the people of Greater Manchester for their support during the surrender and beyond.
“I look forward to seeing the resulting sculpture, a fitting memorial to people whose lives have been taken through violent crime.
“If you come across a knife or any other weapon during a house move or clear out, or you perhaps inherit or find an item, please do not wait for a surrender to get it off the streets – trained staff will always be on hand to dispose of them safely and securely.
If you have knowledge of anyone owning an illegal knife, or would like to hand one in yourself call your local police enquiry desk or 101 for assistance.
