Knife crime reduction in focus as week long campaign begins

Across the Thames Valley all recorded knife crime is down 4% over the past 12 months

Thames Valley Police is joining other police forces across the country in a national week of action to tackle knife crime.

Operation Sceptre begins today with a focus on action, education and awareness-raising to tackle knife crime and violence.

In the Thames Valley the approach is to increase education and early intervention to stop young people getting involved in crime in the first place.  Strong proactive policing runs alongside this, tackling those who carry knives.

Across the Thames Valley all recorded knife crime is down 4% over the past 12 months.  1186 offences were recorded between October 1, 2022 and October 31, 2023 – a reduction of 55 offences when compared to the same period the year before.

The Thames Valley is one of 20 areas with a Home Office-funded Violence Reduction Unit, a partnership of all local councils, police, fire, education, health and community groups, with the aim of working together to prevent violence in the first place.

Jules Bottazzi, Head of the Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit, said: “Tackling knife crime and creating safer communities is a shared priority and the Violence Reduction Unit provides leadership and coordination as all our partners work together.

“Our approach recognises that we need to place equal importance on education and preventing those vulnerable to crime getting involved in the first place.

“Operation Sceptre allows us to raise awareness of this important work and we ask all our communities to join us.  We need parents, community leaders, young people, to work together so that we tackle the fear, provide trusted role models, encourage young people to ask for help and turn away from violence or carrying a knife.

“If you are worried, talk to someone, anyone you trust. Because carrying a knife is never going to make you safer.”

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Published: 13/11/2023 12:43pm by Banbury FM Newsteam

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