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Fleet Town > Fleet News > Police take robust stance on knife crime

Police take robust stance on knife crime

18th June 2007

Hampshire Constabulary is today outlining a robust anti-knife crime report to Hampshire Police Authority following a number of high profile knife-related incidents across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight during 2006/2007.

The work, being detailed in a report on homicide and knife-related crime at the police authority's performance committee, was specifically commissioned to examine the scale of the problem, and sets out how the Force is developing its anti-knife crime policy in line with the ACPO and Home Office National Knife Crime strategy.

Despite a year-on-year fall in the total number of homicides across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight between 2000 and April 2006, the number of murders and manslaughter offences recorded in the two counties rose from 13 in 2005/6 to 19 in 2006/7.

As part of its specific response, the Force has already taken a number of steps to develop its anti-knife crime strategy and officers from across the Force are actively engaged in operations and ongoing work targeting specific problem areas.

In 2006, as part of a nationwide Knife Amnesty, 4,600 weapons were removed from the streets in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – the highest total of any Force nationally. Officers from across the county have also begun engaging in pro-active work targeting people carrying blades.

To aid this work, the Force Intelligence Directorate's Violent Crime Desk has a team of officers and analysts dedicated to conducting a daily critical incident scan of all knife-related incidents and other incidents of violence. This information is used to develop problem profiles, spot emerging trends and identify hotspots requiring immediate action.

Resulting intelligence was used in April this year during the first stage of Operation Sharp, which targeted the illegal sale of knives via the internet, resulting in the seizure of around 150 weapons, ranging from flick-knives to Samurai swords.

As the Operation Sharp strategy develops over coming months, officers across the county working in conjunction with Specialist Operations support teams, will continue the focus on reducing and preventing knife crime through further pro-active search operations and high visibility patrolling.

Work has already begun in Southampton, where analytical work has been undertaken to identify specific problems and target audiences, following a number of knife deaths in recent months.

Detective Superintendent Dave Williams, head of the Performance and Review Team, who wrote the report on behalf of the Chief Constable, said: “The use of knives is sadly all too prevalent in today's society, and we want to spread the message that knives ruin lives.

“Carrying a knife is totally unacceptable and Hampshire Constabulary is determined to reduce and prevent knife crime.

“The work that has already been put in place by the constabulary is just the start – there are many issues that need to be addressed and we are seeking ways to effectively deal with each one.

“It is important to recognise that the majority of knife-related homicides are committed by family members, friends or acquaintances inside private premises. This is an entirely separate issue to an attack in a public place by an unknown offender, and it is vital to stress that such incidents are still extremely rare.

“The Force needs to tackle these issues separately by identifying where and why these incidents are taking place. Once we have this understanding, we will focus on reducing these incidents effectively.

“We have already seen a reduction in domestic homicides over recent years, and we are determined to continue this downward trend through the reduction and prevention of all knife crime in the coming months.”

Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Chair of Hampshire Police Authority and the Authority's Performance Committee, said: "Of the occurrences of knife crime, much of it takes place domestically however there is an increase in the use of knives and this is worrying. The carrying of knives has been talked up so much that it can be seen to be cool, and that is not a good situation for anyone.

“Young people need to be encouraged to think about the consequences of their actions; knives can kill as easily as guns, as we have seen in recent tragic events.”

Specific operations are currently being planned to inform and educate people of all ages about the dangers of carrying a knife, to both reduce knife-related criminal activity, and most importantly, to prevent further serious injury and deaths as a result of their use.


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