Knife amnesty to start as police urge people to hand over blades

From Monday, Operation Brassen will see ‘knife bins’ located at police stations across the county, including Durham City, Seaham and Peterlee, to raise awareness of the harm caused by knife crime, and to reduce the number of crimes taking place by removing potential weapons from circulation.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Gray said: "Knife crime has the potential to devastate the lives of victims, families and communities. We recognise the impact this can have on a range of people and we’re committed to tackling it.

"Whilst we recognise that Durham Constabulary is a safe place to live and work by taking these knives out of circulation, we’re taking away the opportunity for a crime to occur at all."

During this week, police will also be carrying out an awareness and education campaign with the Crime Prevention and Cohesion Unit.

Sessions will be held at schools throughout the force area to highlight the dangers of knives and the impact they can have.

Anyone with ornamental knives, weapons, or any items they no longer use are invited to dispose of them safely within this week.

DCI Gray added: "This campaign is ultimately about saving lives, and we do that by putting a spotlight on possession of knives to prevent this becoming an issue in County Durham and Darlington and to keep our communities safe from harm."