GMP knife amnesty

In February, GMP launched the forever knife amnesty after permanent knife bins were placed in 12 different locations across Greater Manchester.

In July when officers from the Violence Reduction Unit emptied the bins, the first time since the start of lockdown they found a variety of different knives that totalled to 554.

The #ForeverAmnesty is a project run by GMP and the British Ironwork Centre, was launched on a permanent basis following the overwhelming success of September's amnesty and in further efforts to reduce knife crime across Greater Manchester.

Sergeant Paul Nolan of Greater Manchester's Violence Reduction Unit said: "The total number of weapons deposited in the bins since February was 554 knives, which is a huge amount considering we haven't advertised the bins during lockdown. The bins remained available throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as a safe option to dispose of a weapon for those who may have felt vulnerable.

"We are delighted with the number of knives that have been deposited. Any knife or weapon which is handed in is one less on our streets, and more importantly, one less that cannot be used as part of a crime.

"The amnesty is not about secrecy, it's to allow people to bring a knife to a police station where they can deposit it into a bin. The purpose is to reduce the number of knives on the streets of Greater Manchester and this is proving to be a safe and secure way of doing this."

"The #ForeverAmnesty is one of a number of initiatives we are progressing to reduce violent crime across Greater Manchester. Through the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit we work closely with partners such as UK Border Force and the Royal Mail to identify weapons imported to the Greater Manchester area. We carry out targeted intelligence-led weapons sweeps which can result in locating weapons hidden for later use. Perhaps most importantly, we have weapon engagement and education with the young people in our region as part of our community-led approach to prevention."