As part of the latest official knife amnesty, 37 new amnesty bins and a ‘mobile surrender van’ will be placed in what the Home Office terms high-risk areas – London, Greater Manchester and West Midlands – over July. From August 1, 2025, ninja swords will be banned in full – illegal to possess in public or private. Besides surrender arrangements across the three ‘hotspot areas’, people will also be able to hand in ninja swords to designated police stations.
For the van locations this month visit – https://www.fazamnesty.com/locations.
What they say
Home Office Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said the scheme was a result of months of collaborative working with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime. She said she was optimistic ‘about what we can achieve together over the next month and then the years to come as part of our Plan for Change’.
“I am incredibly grateful to Pooja Kanda, Sandra Campbell and Faron Paul [founder of Fazamnesty] whose work to tackle knife crime is making a real difference to young peoples’ lives. This scheme is just one part of addressing knife crime. We will not stop listening to those who are directly working with those impacted by this crime.”
In Manchester
Greater Manchester has 13 surrender bins permanently. In early July the van visited Rochdale and Wigan. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Thompson, part of Greater Manchester Police’s knife crime team, Operation Venture, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Faron and his team for bringing their surrender van [Fazamnesty] to Greater Manchester and it’s a fantastic resource for communities to deposit weapons discreetly.
“However, its presence is also a reminder that knife culture exists on our streets, but we are committed to eradicating the problem and will do all we can to protect young people who may lose their life or future potential to knife-related crime.”
West Midlands
In the West Midlands, PC Zena Hands, early help officer at Walsall Local Policing Area, with Michelle Tolley, family liaison officer at Busill Jones Primary School, have selected ten children, from year six (ten to 11-year-olds) for knife crime prevention ambassador roles. PC Hands said: “Sadly, it’s often young people who either fall victim to knife crime or are the ones committing these offences. Either way, the consequences can be devastating so it’s vitally important that we get that message out there. That’s why we’re we so passionate about this project.”
PC Hands has been delivering workshops to the ambassadors about the laws around carrying knives and tips on what to do if they find a knife or think that someone might be carrying one; what can happen to those who get involved in knife crime, the impact of these crimes on everyone involved, and how to help prevent more of these crimes occurring by spreading safety messages.
See also the West Midlands Police website ‘Life or knife‘.
About Essex
A zombie knife and machete surrender scheme in summer 2024 saw more than 200 knives handed in at police station front counters across Essex alone. Roger Hirst, Essex’s Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) said: “Knives have no place on our country’s street, and here in Essex we are making great strides in reducing knife crime across the county.
“We are bucking the national trend and knife crime is falling. Since our Violence and Vulnerability Unit was established in 2019, over £9m of investment has been brought into the county and during this time – with a concerted effort on prevention, early intervention and working with Essex Police on enforcement – we have seen a 24 per cent reduction in knife crime, with hospitals reporting over 50pc reduction in knife harm incidents.
“Providing the right support at the right time is critical to ending knife violence within our communities, and means less children, young people and the vulnerable preyed on. We will continue to drive positive change in our county as we know one knife crime is one too many.”
