Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary have today (Monday) launched Sceptre a national knife crime week of action that will run until Sunday (23rd November).
Lead by the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) it aims to remove dangerous weapons off the streets, and to reduce and prevent serious violence within our communities.
In Hampshire, serious offences involving a knife have reduced from 1,035 offences (year ending June 2024) to 936 offences (year ending June 2025). The Force is committed to continuing to reduce knife crime, and this week of action is a dedicated to further intensify efforts through education, prevention and enforcement to further reduce offending.
A range of targeted operations will be coordinated throughout the week alongside partners to engage with young people and the community, to educate and bust myths, and to prevent knife crime.
We will be working in partnership with the Violence Reduction Unit, local authorities, education, and community services to ensure tackling knife crime and its root causes are addressed to prevent future offending and protecting communities from harm.
The public can expect the following activity during Op Sceptre:
- High visibility patrols, particularly in hotspot locations and targeting repeat offenders
- Conducting weapon sweeps for hidden or discarded knives
- Checking in on retails to ensure they are complying with age-restricted sales laws
- School and youth club engagement to educate, prevent knife crime and build trust with young people
- Knife surrender bins to provide safe and anonymous disposal options
- Staffing knife arches to detect and deter people from carrying knives
- Community engagement to provide reassurance and to raise awareness
Inspector James Barton, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s tactical lead for knife crime said:
“Knife crime is devastating for all the lives and communities it impacts. It’s a top priority for our Force to tackle knife crime and serious violence, our efforts over the last year have seen a positive reduction in knife-related offences within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as a direct result.
Article continues below this advertisement “We can’t be complacent. There is plenty more work to be done and that is why we support this week of action and will be intensifying our prevention and engagement work across all districts to make our communities safer and to build brighter futures for young people, alongside our neighbourhood enforcement and proactive activity against knife carriers and offending.
“It is not possible for policing to address the complex issue of knife crime alone and so we’re working closely with our partners to have a multipronged approach to continue reducing knife-related violence.
“Sceptre is not just about enforcement where we seize knives and make arrests, but it’s also about education and prevention to get to the root causes and break the cycle of violence. We know it can be worrying to hear about people being injured or killed by knives but carrying a knife yourself doesn’t make you any safer but puts you at greater risk of harm.
“The reality is that very few people carry knives but if someone you know is carrying a knife or involved in serious violence, you can report it to the police, speak to a trusted family member or teacher, or you can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers and Fearless. Every knife taken off the streets is a potential life saved.”
Support is available through the charity The Ben Kinsella Trust.
If there are areas where you live or spend time that don’t feel safe you can report this anonymously via StreetSafe. The information is given to your local police force who can then look at what they can do to improve safety in that area.
Contact Crimestoppers or Fearless 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.
Call the police on 101 or via our website. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Anyone carrying a knife should automatically be doing a life sentence & life should mean life, not an airy fairy half sentence.