The national operation to tackle knife crime – known as Operation Sceptre – has seized thousands of knives, police chiefs have said. The operation, which was undertaken by all 43 forces in England and Wales as well as the British Transport Police, also saw 1,947 arrests, with 831 related to knife crime offences.
A number of different tactics were used to remove knives from the streets, including honesty bins, knife arches and weapon sweeps. Officers seized 1,074 knives while 8,401 were surrendered or seized during sweeps. This is an increase of 14% since the last Operation Sceptre in 2021, according to figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
The police also worked with the prison service to sweep cells, with 131 inmates searched in 100 cells across eight prisons. They seized 29 weapons during the cell searches, including razor blades fixed to toothbrushes and other handles. Other weapons seized by police over the week include swords, hunting knives and machetes.
