Samurai swords and hunting blades among 130 knives handed in to police in North Yorkshire

Dozens of blades including hunting knives and Samurai swords have been handed in to police across North Yorkshire as part of a crackdown on knife crime.
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North Yorkshire Police said nearly 130 knives were handed in to police stations in Selby, Scarborough, York, Northallerton, Harrogate and Skipton from July 17-23.

They were relinquished as part of the national Operation Sceptre crackdown to give people a chance to dispose of blades safely.

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Temporary Sergeant Dave France said: "North Yorkshire is one of the safest places in England, and levels of knife crime in particular are very low.

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“However, we are not complacent about knife crime and continue to work hard to take these weapons off our streets.

“Through our collection bins we have had over 130 weapons, in varying forms, handed in from standard kitchen knives, to hunting knives and Samurai swords."

Police also worked with local Trading Standards teams to carry out test purchasing operations in North Yorkshire shops, to test their compliance with knife sale regulations.

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Out of the 18 stores tested, the force said most of the high street stores passed by refusing to sell a knife to our test-purchasers with four out of 13 failing.

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However, all online retailers who were tested were found to have been selling knives to a person under 18.

Sgt France added: “We have also identified a number of retailers who think it’s okay to sell knives to under 18s and will be taking further action against these.

“Our message is clear, don’t carry a knife.

“Anyone who has information on knife crime in their local community should contact us on 101, or pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“In an emergency, always dial 999.”