Good afternoon everyone, 

We just wanted to let you know that our Violent Crime Taskforce have led one of our regular ‘knife sweeps’ in the St Mary's area of Southampton today (Wednesday 19 March) searching for discarded knives and drugs.

The team - who were joined by officers from our Neighbourhood Enforcement Team and local Neighbourhood Policing Teams - located six knives, a hammer, a discarded phone suspected to have been used in drug dealing and suspected heroin and crack cocaine with an approximate street value of £1000. 

We spoke to residents in the area throughout the day, and we hope that operations such as this one show that we are committed to reducing knife crime and drug-related harm in our communities. 

The Violent Crime Taskforce, which was established by the Police & Crime Commissioner, is a vital component of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary's strategy to reduce knife crime. 

Each weapon we take off our streets is potentially a life saved - we saw a 19% reduction in knife crime last year and we are working to keep this number falling. 

Knife sweeps like this one involve officers visiting a specific area - very often parks and recreation grounds with hidden spaces – and doing a thorough search for knives or any sharp object which could potentially pose a risk.

If we find a knife, a suspected weapon or suspected drugs, we contain it and take it away to be stored safely. If we have reason to believe something we’ve found has been used in a crime, we will conduct further enquiries and investigate.
 

The reality is that very few people carry knives but if someone you know is carrying a knife you can report it to the police, speak to a trusted family member or teacher, or you can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers: https://orlo.uk/2jhcv
 

#VCTU #Sceptre #NeverChooseKnives