AVON and Somerset Police are taking part in two national operations this month to help keep knives and firearms off the streets.

This week (16-22 May) they are engaged in Operation Sceptre, an intensified focus on enforcement, education and engagement around knife crime.

Avon and Somerset Police cadets and leaders have worked with police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) to check that stores are complying with their legal responsibilities around the sale of knives to under 18s.

In the largest test purchase operation of its kind in Avon and Somerset and in the country, they tested the under-age purchasing of bladed articles at 120 retail sites across the region.

Of these, 29 retailers (24 per cent) failed. This compares with a 26 per cent failure rate (21 retailers out of 82 shops) in the last Op Sceptre week in November 2021.

Two retailers - who failed in previous testing and pledged during follow-up police visits to adopt a range of conditions going forward such as ensuring the full training of all their staff.

In other activities this week, Avon and Somerset Police will:

  • Deliver talks to young people in primary and secondary schools, youth clubs and groups and those outside of mainstream education, to explain the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife
  • Run a series of ‘Blunt Truth’ workshops, a collaboration with NHS partners, which explore the realities of knife crime and encourage young people to report their concerns if someone they know is carrying a knife
  • Sweep open spaces where intelligence or reports from the public suggest weapons may be stored or hidden
  • Carry out hi-visibility patrols in areas of high demand, deterring those intent on crime or violence
  • Launch two new permanent knife surrender bins at Bath and Wellington police stations, bringing the total across Avon and Somerset to 14, including two temporary bins.

Avon and Somerset Police’s force tactical lead for knife crime Inspector Mike Vass said: “Far too often we are seeing lives senselessly lost or forever changed and families left devastated by knife crime.

"We take robust and ongoing enforcement action all year around to deter the carrying of knives, disrupt the activities of those intent on using weapons in criminal activity and bring perpetrators to justice."