More than 15,000 knives removed from UK streets in year-long surrender drive
By Community Correspondent
More than 15,000 knives and other dangerous weapons have been taken off the UK's streets through a national surrender scheme designed to help make communities safer.
Figures released by the Home Office show that more than 14,500 weapons have been placed in anonymous surrender bins since July last year, with almost 800 more handed in through a mobile surrender van.
The collection included zombie-style knives, ninja swords, machetes, kitchen knives and other bladed weapons that have been linked to violent crime.
The government says the scheme has contributed to a fall in knife crime, with knife-enabled offences down by 11% and knife-related homicides at their lowest level for more than three decades.
Following the success of the initiative, new surrender bins are being introduced in South and West Yorkshire, while the mobile surrender van will continue visiting communities across the West Midlands and London, giving people another safe and anonymous way to hand in weapons.
Policing and Crime Minister Sarah Jones said every weapon surrendered represented "one less weapon on our streets" and encouraged anyone still holding dangerous knives to use the scheme.
The surrender bins are operated by the charity Word4Weapons on a no-questions-asked basis, allowing people to dispose of weapons safely without fear of prosecution for simply handing them in.
Knives must be wrapped securely before being placed in the bins.
The mobile surrender service is run by charity FazAmnesty, founded by Faron Paul after he survived a knife attack in which he was stabbed 18 times.
He now works with communities across the country to encourage people to hand in dangerous weapons and help prevent violence.
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The surrender campaign forms part of wider efforts to reduce knife crime, including Ronan's Law, introduced following the death of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda in 2022. The legislation brought in tougher controls on the sale of dangerous knives and closed loopholes around online purchases.
People can find the locations of surrender bins and the mobile collection van, along with guidance on how to safely hand in weapons, on the GOV.UK website.
