Humberside Police are asking the public to join them to help tackle the rising issue of knife crime. The appeal comes off the back of recent news that saw two young people lose their lives.
As a region, East Yorkshire does not experience the same levels of violence seen in our cities. However, the issue of knife crime is on the certainly cannot be ignored.
Humberside police said 560 incidents of people either carrying or using knives or other bladed weapons in our area. These figures were based on reports from April 2018 to February 2019.
Detective Inspector Kerry Bull said:
“Thankfully, we don’t have a serious problem with knife crime across our force area. But like all areas of the country, we’ve seen a rise in the number of reports of people carrying weapons.”
“In the main, those who carry weapons in this area are linked to either selling or using drugs. However, the same can’t always be said for their victims.”
“Too many people have also been seriously injured or lost their lives as a result of people carrying knives. We want to act now to prevent this from happening to anyone else.”
Police say that the biggest issue they face with tackling knife crime is how readily available they are.
To address this issue they are working with the community to get people talking. Young people are particularly targeted. This is done by hosting events, supporting campaigns and through education sessions in schools.
DI Bull added;
“You can walk into any home and find any number of potentially lethal weapons. I’m not just talking about kitchen knives. Knife crime encompasses things such as pieces of glass, potato peelers and even things like knitting needles.”
Knife Crime Damages Lives Of All Concerned
“By carrying these weapons, people are showing that they are willing to cause someone serious harm. Even if they don’t intend to kill anyone, they’re willing to chance it.”
“It’s not only their victim’s life that’s destroyed by their actions. Their family is also handed a life sentence too. They’re someone’s son or daughter, a partner – maybe even a parent.”
“The same goes for the family and loved-ones of the offender, who will serve a significant prison sentence.”
“So, if you know someone is walking around armed with something like this, please let us know. Even if you’d rather do it anonymously.”
“By giving us this information, you provide us with the authority we need to stop and search people suspected of carrying weapons and prosecute those who are.”
Next week local police will also be supporting Operation Sceptre. This is a national campaign aimed at encouraging people who have knives in their possession to give them up anonymously.
Between Monday, March 11 and Sunday, March 17, there will be surrender bins in all the police stations. This is so people can deposit any knives safely and anonymously.
If you know of someone carrying weapons in your area you should contact the police. This can be done by calling the non-emergency 101 line or by dropping into your local police station.
If someone’s in immediate danger, always call 999.
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