More than 400 knives were handed in across Wiltshire during Operation Sceptre, a national policing initiative tackling knife crime.
From May 15 through to May 27, the public used 12 knife surrender bins in locations across the county to hand in bladed weapons they had been carrying.
439 knives and bladed articles were handed in in total.
Alongside this surrender campaign, Wiltshire Police officers conducted a range of activities – from tackling the root causes of knife crime to enforcement.
During two weeks of intensified action, officers visited schools. They gave interactive presentations to young people on the risks of carrying knives, conducted community engagement events, and weapons sweeps, took knife arches to schools, and proactively patrolled in areas of high demand around gang violence.
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Operation Sceptre has taken a broad and comprehensive approach to tackling knife crime, and the amount of proactive work undertaken by Wiltshire Police over the past few weeks has led to many weapons being surrendered.
“Each knife taken off the streets is a step towards making the streets of Wiltshire safer.
“We have engaged with local schools, community groups and charities to educate our young people and challenge the misconception that carrying a knife or weapon makes people seem big or clever by demonstrating that the consequences are serious and too often fatal.
“Maintaining visibility of officers in areas where there are concerns around knife crime remains a priority for the Chief Constable as part of creating safer public spaces and my priority of reducing violence and serious harm.”
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