Police devote a week to tackling knife crime

THREE POLICE forces in London are working together this week on reducing knife crime in London – the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police (BTP) and the City of London Police. The week runs from Monday 12th to Friday 16th February.

The joint work is the latest phase of Operation Sceptre. Officers will be carrying out a variety of tasks focussing on finding knives and/or those who use them. They will be carrying out weapons sweeps (detailed searches of areas where knives may be discarded or stored), following up information received from the public and targeting known repeat knife crime offenders.

The last week of Operation Sceptre activity in London, which ran from 15th to 21st January, saw 282 weapons being recovered – of which 186 were knives.

Commander David Musker from Territorial Policing, who is overseeing the Operation Sceptre activity, said, “Regular, focused activity such as this is essential in helping remove weapons from the streets of London, and makes a major contribution to the fight against knife crime.”

Superintendent Susan Peters from BTP said, “We are supporting the national week of action across the country through community engagement and operations at transport hubs. A main focus for us will be talking to people at stations and on trains, particularly young people, as statistics show that people aged 16 to 25 are more likely to be carrying knives. We want people travelling on the railway network to feel safe and reassured by the action BTP officers are taking alongside our colleagues in other forces and partner agencies.”

Inspector Richard Galvin from the City of London Police said, “The City of London Police is committed to working alongside our colleagues as part of the Operation Sceptre Taskforce. As part of this pan-London approach to tackling knife crime, we are determined to deal with this problem wherever it may be found in the capital. Officers from across London will be working together, on intelligence-led operations with one aim – to root out knife crime.”

•The police suggest that anyone who is concerned for someone involved in knife crime should go to:
www.met.police.uk/StopKnifeCrime.

•For a map showing the location of knife bins across London, go to:
http://www.met.police.uk/StopKnifeCrime.

•Read more about it:
Council continues to crack down on drugs
Barking teen died from multiple stab wounds

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