Kent Police will be reaching into classrooms in a bid to highlight to students the danger of knives as the national knife amnesty reaches its third week.
Officers across the county have been distributing safety leaflets to members of the public around Kent as part of the national amnesty campaign. Now, as the campaign enters its third week, officers will be joining classrooms in a bid to teach students the danger of carrying knives and the devastation these weapons can cause.
On Wednesday 14 June, officers will be joining students at Minster College on the Isle of Sheppey in a classroom discussion on how knives can damage people’s lives.
Kent Police’s Chief Inspector Mark Harrison said: “A key part of this knife amnesty is about educating people of all ages to the dangers of carrying knives. By working with students we hope to highlight those dangers and of course how it can damage lives. We have seen a clear example of this on the Isle of Sheppey recently and by working with our partners in this way we hope to help prevent anything like this happening again.”
People in Kent handed in twice as many weapons during the second week of the knife amnesty, which runs until 30 June.
In the first week of the campaign, 405 knives and weapons were handed in. The total figure now stands at 1,216 – a rise of 811. Further figures will be available on Wednesday 14 June to show activity in the third week of the knife amnesty.
Carrying a knife or weapon for ‘protection’ is illegal and anyone found with an offensive weapon in a public place can face up to six months imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine.
The national amnesty started on 24 May. Kent Police is supporting it as part of the force’s continuing efforts to help reduce violent crime.
Details of where to find the bins are available on the Amnesty Information Line – 01622 654321 – and also on the Kent Police website at www.kent.police.uk. Here you can download posters and flyers, including flyers in six different languages. 80,000 safety leaflets have been printed and will be distributed throughout Kent.
People handing in knives and other weapons are asked to wrap them in cardboard and secure them with tape before disposal.
