More than 20 weapons handed into amnesty bins in Gwent

More than 20 weapons were surrendered at knife amnesty bins across Gwent during Operation Sceptre, the nationwide week of action to tackle knife crime and serious violence.

The aim of the operation is to remove dangerous weapons from the streets, reduce knife crime and raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.

We put five amnesty bins at police stations across Gwent where people could safely and anonymously dispose of knives.

The bins were at Newport Central, Monmouth, Blackwood, Ebbw Vale and Cwmbran police stations.

Around 22 knives and weapons were surrendered at the knife amnesty bins.

School liaison officers also carried out more than 100 lessons during the week of action to educate children on the dangers of carrying knives.

Superintendent Glyn Fernquest said: “Knife crime can have devastating consequences.

"Operations such as this are a snapshot of the work that we carry out all year round to take weapons from our streets and keep our communities safe. 

“Knife crime remains rare for the majority of our communities, but it has risen nationally and as a force, we are no exception to that.

“As part of daily policing, our officers conduct intelligence lead stop-search powers to target those who may commit violent crime.

"I want to reassure communities that anyone caught carrying a knife, no matter the reason, we will stop them, search them, seize the weapon and deal with them proportionally through the criminal justice system.

"Every knife taken off the streets is another life potentially saved.

“If anyone has any information about individuals involved in knife crime or has any concerns, please call Gwent police on 101 or direct message us via Facebook or Twitter.

"Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always dial 999.”