The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has joined Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary in calling for all zombie-style knives and machetes to be surrendered across the two counties.
Today (26 August) is the start of a national month-long campaign launched by the government for owners to hand in these weapons safely and legally to police stations up and down the country.
The surrender and compensation scheme runs until 23 September. It will then be illegal to possess, sell, manufacture and transport them from 24 September.
PCC Donna Jones said:
“This surrender scheme will take more deadly weapons off the streets in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It is vital that members of the public come forward to prevent further devastating and life-changing consequences to so many families.
“There is no place for these kinds of weapons in our neighbourhoods. We must all work together to drive down knife crime and give people more positive futures and better life choices.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has reported that knife crime offences for the two counties have gone down by nearly 8% compared to last year.
New figures from the Ministry of Justice in the year to March reveal the national knife crime landscape with the rate of first-time offenders in England and Wales at a record low and the overall number of knife and offensive weapon offences also on the decline.
PCC Donna Jones added:
“This nationwide surrender is an important step towards eradicating dangerous weapons that have no place in our society. I am urging anyone who is in possession of these zombie-style knives and machetes to surrender them safely from today.”
Items can be surrendered and compensation claimed at Newport Police Station. There is also further advice on how to surrender these items safely and how to claim compensation.