[P]olice received 135 knives from members of the public during a week-long surrender period.
The surrender, which ran between 12th and 18th February, was part of a national initiative to tackle knife crime. In Cumbria, police appealed to the public to hand in any unwanted knives to ensure they did not fall into the hands of criminals.
The knives will now be destroyed and cannot be used by offenders looking to inflict fear or harm.
A breakdown of where knives were handed in are:
- North Cumbria – 62
- South Cumbria – 10
- West Cumbria – 63
Superintendent Mark Pannone said: “This has been a successful operation with a large number of knives handed in from members of the public and now out of the reach of criminals.
“The number of knives handed in is proof that people in Cumbria take the issue of weapons in our communities very seriously. We are lucky in Cumbria that there isn’t the knife culture that is seen in other areas of the country, however the fact remains that such weapons can be very harmful in the wrong hands.
“Many of these handed in were kitchen or trade knives however there were also some antique and dangerous weapons that may have been passed down through generations. The people who owned these would likely never use them to harm others but we can now be sure that criminals cannot gain access to them to cause serious or fatal injury.
“I’d like to thank those who have handed in weapons in during the surrender as you have contributed to making Cumbria a safer place.”
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall said: “I would also like to thank those who have come forward – this is a great example of people taking responsibility and helping to keep the public of Cumbria safe. As a result, thankfully there are now 135 knives less in the county to fall into the wrong hands.”
