1,000 weapons surrendered in police amnesty
A GREATER Manchester Police spokesperson said the force was committed to reducing knife crime.
They said: “Knife crime remains one of the highest priorities for GMP, and we must continue to do all we can to tackle the issue and keep the people of Greater Manchester safe.
“Within the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) we are working hard to capture data and overlay this with NWAS and A&E figures, so that we can gain a better understanding of the extent of knife crime across Greater Manchester.
“This will help us to identify the key areas which are suffering from knife crime and serious violence where victims seek help, but often choose not to report incidents to the police.
“In areas of Manchester where knife crime remains high, we will continue to work closely with partners and engage with the local communities to understand why this is happening, and put a plan in place which will enable us to provide the appropriate support.”
They added: “Greater Manchester Police has now placed 14 amnesty bins located across Greater Manchester for weapons to be disposed of safely, and anonymously.
“Since the launch of the Forever Amnesty at the start of this year, over 1,000 knives have been surrendered.
“This is a fantastic result for Greater Manchester, as any knife deposited is one less on our streets, and more importantly, one less that can’t be used as part of a crime.
“Recently, GMP announced that we are supporting the Home Office Offensive Weapons Surrender Scheme, which has been set-up to tackle serious violence and help keep dangerous weapons off our streets.
“The scheme allows lawful owners to hand in weapons to the police and claim compensation, after legislation has been put to parliament making them unlawful to own.”