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A knife amnesty bin has once again been set up at Blackwood Police Station as part of national efforts to deter knife crime.

Throughout this week, Gwent Police is running a knife amnesty campaign – encouraging people in possession of dangerous weapons to get rid of them anonymously – and without the risk of prosecution.

The campaign is part of Operation Sceptre – a regular nationwide event aimed at raising awareness of and tackling knife crime.

The bins will be available each day this week between 9am and 1pm, and again between 2pm and 4pm.

The amnesty bin launched on Monday May 13 and will remain open until Sunday May 19.

Bins will also be available at police stations in Newport, Monmouth, Ebbw Vale and Cwmbran.

Police officers will also be carrying out patrols and delivering presentations at school to raise awareness of the impact of knife crime, as well as visiting shops as part of its responsible sellers scheme.

The scheme was first launched in Caerphilly County Borough in 2021.

Superintendent Ryan Francis, of Gwent Police, said: “Knives have no place on Gwent streets, and through Sceptre, we have a multi-faceted approach in place to ensure the public stay safe, offenders are highlighted and prosecuted, and the next generation understand the dangers of carrying a knife.

“Identifying current knife carriers, seizing weapons and making arrests is only part of our approach to tackling knife crime.”

He continued: “We work with partners, like local authorities, schools and Fearless, to both better understand the motivation behind carrying a blade and to educate people that carrying one doesn’t make you safer but puts you at more risk; we work with retailers to ensure the safe and responsible sale of knives, and; operationally, carry out knife sweeps and stop searches to remove them from our streets.

“We will not tolerate any form of crime or disorder involving weapons and want our communities to know they can come to us with any information they have around serious violence in our communities.

“Every knife we take off the street is another life potentially saved.”

Anyone with information on knife crime and those involved, or anyone with concerns about violent crime in their area, can contact Gwent Police on 101, or through direct message on social media.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Anyone worried about someone or looking for support themselves can visit knifefree.co.uk for advice.