Drop the Knife campaign results in the surrender of 54 lethal weapons
Statistics show that there were more than 1170 knife offences reported in South Yorkshire between April 2016 and March 2017. This reflects an alarming increase from the 807 offences reported the previous year. Doncaster alone recorded 277 knife related crimes which represents a staggering 47% increase. As part of the efforts of South Yorkshire police to highlight the potentially devastating effects of carrying a knife the Drop the Knife campaign was launched in July of this year. The 11-day amnesty, which ended on July 31st saw over 50 dangerous weapons including knives, Samurai swords, bayonets and zombie and kitchen knives surrendered at various local police stations throughout the region.
Law enforcement officers introduced the “no questions asked” policy in an attempt to reduce the number of potentially fatal attacks that regularly occur as a result of people in possession of knives. Research has revealed that many people are unaware that simply carrying a knife is illegal and a subsequent conviction can result in a four-year prison sentence. Along with the acquisition of many dangerous instruments the campaign was also launched in order to educate people about the dangers of carrying a knife for protection as it is much more likely to be used and result in a serious injury or fatality.
The success of the Drop the Knife campaign simply echoes the importance of ensuring public safety. We focus on the security and safety of our clients and our services are structured to offer everyone we work with consummate protection and peace of mind. We supply the finest SIA licensed security officers as well as manned guarding, event management, CCTV monitoring services, special event security, consultancy and more. Our central aim is the implementation of security and controlled safety measures to ensure public safety across South Yorkshire.