Knife bins are to be installed across York and North Yorkshire in a bid to crackdown on crime.
The announcement follows the success of a pilot scheme in Harrogate where over 500 knives and bladed articles have been deposited since the start of the year.
North Yorkshire Council has decided to install knife drop bins across the county after being awarded £15,000 of funding from the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Serious Violence Duty Prevention and Early Intervention fund.
The council is working in partnership with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police to install the measures.
Although North Yorkshire is regarded as one of the safest counties in England and Wales to live, a council spokesperson said knife crime remains an issue.
There were more than 2,700 recorded incidents in the Harrogate district where a knife or bladed article was involved or mentioned between January 2020 and June 2022.
The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales is reported to be at its highest level since records began more than 75 years ago.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 282 homicides were committed using a knife or sharp instrument in the year to March 2022, which is a 19 per cent rise when compared to the previous year.
North Yorkshire Council is yet to release the locations of the bins.
Once the locations have been decided, members of the public will be able to deposit the knife or bladed article through the bin’s hatch.
People are advised to wrap the blade in thick paper or cardboard and secure with tape as a safety precaution.
The bins will be emptied by North Yorkshire Police officers and the items disposed of.
The Government’s Serious Violence Duty, introduced in January, requires the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to bring organisations, such as North Yorkshire Council, together to develop and implement strategies that help prevent and reduce serious violence.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said he was delighted the bid for funding had been approved.
“Knife bins will not reduce these horrendous statistics on their own, but they have proven to be a successful way of preventing knives and bladed articles from getting into the wrong hands,” he said.
“Knife crime has devastating consequences for all those involved. If installing these bins leads to the prevention of just one death, then the investment will have been worthwhile.”
The council's head of community safety and CCTV, Odette Robson, said: “This initiative helps us to safeguard our communities and fulfil our commitment to tackling serious violence.”
North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Zoë Metcalfe, said knife drop bins had proven their worth wherever they were located.
“I am delighted that my office has been able to provide funding to this project,” she said.
“We can never truly reverse the impact of a violent crime after it has occurred, and so it is crucial that we are able to support preventative measures like this which are proven to reduce the risk of these crimes happening in the first place.”
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