Boy hands over collection of 24 knives during Cambridgeshire police amnesty

Police have thanked a boy after he handed in his collection of 24 knives during the amnesty held across Cambridgeshire.

The week long amnesty ran from Monday, May 19, and gave people the chance to surrender weapons including knives, knuckledusters, extendable batons, curved swords and zombie weapons that have been made illegal to own.

Amnesty bins were placed at police stations including Peterborough’s Thorpe Wood – but this year people who wanted to dispose of knives or weapons, but who may struggle to get to an amnesty bin, were able to arrange for officers to visit their home and collect them.

One person who took advantage of the scheme was a boy from Chatteris. The youngster’s age has not been revealed, but police thanked the youngster after handing in his collection.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Thank you to one young person in Chatteris, who had these at his home but emailed one of our knife amnesty mailboxes to say he’d like to hand them over to us.

“The boy confided in us that he didn’t feel comfortable travelling to one of our knife amnesty bins to hand them in – and that he used to collect them but didn’t want them anymore.

“Officers visited his home under a new scheme we piloted during last week’s knife amnesty – where two dedicated email addresses were set up for people who wanted to dispose of weapons but for whatever reason, couldn’t make it to our amnesty bins.

“The knife amnesty, where weapons and knives can be handed in without fear of being prosecuted, is just a small part of our work to tackle knife crime.

“We also carry out knife sweeps of hot spot areas, do test purchasing at shops with our volunteer police cadets (making sure knives aren’t sold to those under 18), and visit schools to educate the younger generation on the consequences of knife crime, the myths and the reality.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston said: “Knife crime has a devastating impact on the lives of victims, their families and the wider community.

“While we do not see the same levels of violence as other parts of the country, it is essential we all play our part in educating our young people as to the dangers of carrying knives."

What the law says about knives

Possession of weapon offences in Cambridgeshire increased from 312 between April 2023 and March 2024, to 408 for the same period in 2024/25.

Where knives are concerned, it is illegal to:

- sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old

- carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife

- carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife

- use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

Visit Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s website for more information on knife crime and to access a list of the banned items.