Weapons seized during police operation as county sees huge rise in knife crime
Cambridgeshire police operation saw searches in St Neots for knives. - Credit: Archant
Nine people were arrested and three weapons seized as part of a police operation to tackle knife crime.
Cambridgeshire police organised a week-long initiative called Operation Sceptre which included weapon sweeps, virtual school presentations and arrests.
The national operation ran from November 9-15 and was aimed at reducing the number of people carrying knives through targeted activity.
Officers searched parks, school perimeters and green spaces in St Neots and Wisbech for weapons.
Virtual presentations where held for schools and colleges across the county as part of an ongoing education programme and officers work with Border Force to monitor and intercept knives and other weapons purchased online.
Officers visited 14 addresses where Border Force had intercepted the sale of a weapon to explain why the purchase had been blocked and ensure the person understood the purchase of the item was prohibited
Nine people were arrested for knife related incidents and three knives seized and six knives were handed in to police stations.
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Officers held a live online question-and-answer session on Facebook which attracted more than 350 people
In Cambridgeshire, offences involving knives or sharp instruments rose 58 per cent from 908 incidents in 2018 to 1,436 incidents in 2019. Between January and October this year there have been 1,178 offences.
On average, officers are arresting three people a week in Cambridgeshire for knife related offences (168 in 2018, 199 in 2019 and 168 between Jan-Oct 2020).
Superintendent Robin Sissons said: “Knife crime is one of the force priorities and our officers are committed to investing time and effort into tackling it to ensure our communities are safer and people are protected from serious harm.
“Our work to tackle knife crime and serious violence is not limited to this week of action and will continue throughout the year, acting on intelligence to arrest violent criminals and take weapons off the streets.”
Anyone who knows someone who carries a knife can report it on the Cambridgeshire police website at: or anonymously, via Crimestoppers on: 0800 555111 or www.crimstoppers-uk.org.
