New knife bin for city ‘in weeks’
IT has been confirmed Coventry will be getting a new weapon surrender point in the next few weeks.
The city currently has one so-called ‘knife bin’ located at the Asda car park in the Whitley area of the city.
However, it has been said for some time a new bin would be coming to the city, with the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson saying last month it would be coming “shortly”.
And it’s now been revealed it is coming in the next few weeks, although an exact date and location are yet to be confirmed.
More than 800 knives, knuckle dusters, bullets and even a bayonet have been emptied from the PCC’S 19 weapon surrender bins located around the West Midlands. The secure, postbox-sized containers are strategically placed across the region as part of a concerted effort to get weapons off the streets and reduce violence.
The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Waheed Saleem, said: “Worryingly knife crime has been rising across the country during the last decade and people are understandably concerned.
“Our knife bins are proving a very useful tool in tackling knife crime and are now being used widely by the public. Too many people are killed or seriously injured by knives and we must all
act to prevent further needless deaths.
“I would urge anyone who carries a knife to think twice and to use their nearest knife bin.”
Discussing the knife bins last month, PCC David Jamieson said: “There has been a pause in the roll-out of weapon surrender bins across the West Midlands to enable us to find a new manufacturer who could accommodate our plans for lots of new bins.
“I’m pleased to say this process is now complete and Coventry will soon be getting more weapon surrender bins.
“As soon as we have a confirmed location and date for the bin to be installed the readers of the Coventry Telegraph will be among the first to hear.”
Knife crime has more than doubled in the West Midlands since 2012 and it’s been a persistent issue in Coventry, including in recent weeks.
A man was stabbed in the head by an assailant last week.
Earlier this month a schoolboy was left in a serious condition after being stabbed in Tile Hill while a man in his 20s was stabbed on Sewell Highway just hours later.
A boy was also chased by a knife wielding gang the same day.
February saw a man stabbed to death on Waveley Road on the same day there were two unrelated city centre stabbings within hours of each another.