Knife amnesty nets 17,700 weapons

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Justin Time

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Knife amnesty nets 17,700 weapons

Over 17,700 weapons were handed in during the first week of the national knives amnesty, the Home Office said.

Machetes, meat cleavers and axes as well as knives were among the haul of 17,715 surrendered to the 43 police forces across England and Wales.

Home office minister Vernon Coaker said the results were "encouraging".

The five-week amnesty, running until 30 June, allows people to surrender knives at police stations without fear of punishment.

Mr Coaker urged those who had not yet handed in their weapons to do so.

"The initial figures for the first week of that campaign are very encouraging, " he said.

"That is 17,715 fewer weapons that can be used in a crime against ordinary, law-abiding citizens.

"If you carry a knife out of self-defence, you run the risk of having it turned on you. Carrying a knife is illegal and will not be tolerated. It could land you four years in prison"

'Significant step'

As well as knives, Devon and Cornwall police also received an 8lb anti-tank rocket launcher, known as a "tankbuster", which has a range of up to 350 metres.

A force spokesman said: "The amnesty is for all weapons and if someone wants to get rid of a rocket launcher, that's fine by us."

Devon and Cornwall's assistant chief constable, Tony Melville, who is also a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the haul was "a significant step towards making our streets safer".

The initiative, running in England, Wales and Scotland comes amid growing concern at the level of knife crime in the wake of a series of fatal stabbings.

Police say that from 1 July tough action will be taken on those found armed with knives.

However, some families of victims of knife crime have questioned the effectiveness of an amnesty, calling instead for tougher sentencing.

Last month 15-year-old Kiyan Prince died from a stab wound after being attacked outside his school in Edgware, north London.

And last week Alex Mulumba Kamondo, also 15, died after being knifed through the heart during a street fight in Lambeth, south London.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5086922.stm
 
If you carry a knife out of self-defence, you run the risk of having it turned on you.
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So just stand still and take the violent crime that is being perpetrated on you, damn it!
Yeah, you also run the risk of surviving the crime somebody else is committing.

Why would you call it an amnesty when it still isn't illegal to own cooking knives and axes, which are valid tools? The suggestion is that everybody who keeps their knives which exist for utility is a criminal, regardless of what the law actually says.

I'd ask how these people are going to cook, but this is England.
 
...meanwhile in Denmark Hagar the Horrible, Lucky Eddie and thirty two loyal men get ready to go on their annual summer pillage, destination London.:)
 
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The UK authorities need a few b**ch slaps so that some sense can be embedded in their heads. This amnesty runs until the 30th of June and all of the weapons they have taken in have been destroyed. They televised them snapping all the blades on a hydraulic press. Many of those items were antique or ceremonial items no doubt that poor Mrs Jones thought would jump out of the display case and stab someone at any moment.

But that is not the real reason why I am so annoyed about this amnesty. The real reason is beautifully illustrated in the circumstances of a stabbing that took place recently during the amnesty in which a teenager was killed. Here is the significant detail:

None of the parties to the incident were carrying knives at the time that the altercation developed. The murderous scum (also teenagers) went back to their place of residence, retrieved the knives and returned to stab the victim.

What does this mean? Well it is obvious to me that this makes everyone here on TFL a potential murderer because we all have kitchen knives, don't we? If I wanted to cause mayhem I could easily do so. There is a school and a post office and a street market right here. But why don't I do it? Because I have been brought up with the discipline and respect to not do it. And the presence of knives or any other weapons in my abode does not alter that upbringing. The true cause of crime and murder is the lax upbringing these kids are getting, not the availability of implements to carry out their actions. Even if we all ate with spoons, these guys would turn to clubs or bottles to do their dirty deeds.
 
The thing that pisses me off about his mindset is if no knives are available all they gotta do is pick up a club or rock and bash the person to death. Next thing you know they will be having a rock amnesty, idiots just don't get it do they!:rolleyes:
 
Amnesty?

The BBC today reports the tragic destruction of many historical landmarks as citizens rush to turn in rocks and stones before the amnesty period expires.

MP Reginald Doofus stated "our streets will be safer"......well, you know the rest.
 
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