Durham Police has announced it will be taking part in a national campaign to tackle knife crime by providing ‘knife bins’ for people to surrender their weapons.

The bins will be in place from Monday (November 14) at several police stations across County Durham and Darlington to allow people to deposit weapons, ornamental knives or bladed articles completely anonymously.

It is part of a national campaign, branded ‘Operation Sceptre’, which aims to reduce knife crime and tackle weapon-based violence.

Read more: Drive to get knives off North East streets amid knife crime crisis

Local lead for Operation Sceptre, Inspector Michael Sammut, said: “Knife crime can devastate the lives of victims and their families.

“Although County Durham and Darlington has one of the lowest levels of knife crime in the country, we remain committed to protecting our communities by doing everything we can to remove as many unused weapons as possible.

"We know that some people who possess these weapons no longer wish to but are scared to hand them in for fear or prosecution, so this is a way we can help them dispose of the items safely without the fear of repercussions and, in turn, keeps the public safe.

To get more stories direct to your email basket go here 

“Our aim is to prevent, protect, educate and enforce where necessary to ensure the weapons don’t get into the wrong hands.”

Where you’ll be able to dispose of a knife in Durham and Darlington

  • Durham Police Station
  • Darlington Police Station
  • Peterlee Police Station
  • Bishop Auckland Police Station

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here