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<p>Many police forces provide amnesty bins all year round to provide the public with
a facility to safely dispose of unwanted knives and other offensive weapons. It is
for Chief Constables, directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Mayors
with PCC functions to make operational decisions including how to allocate resources
based on their local knowledge and experience.</p><p>The Government continues to encourage
police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle
knife crime under Operation Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches,
weapon sweeps of hotspot areas, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins,
test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase
of the operation took place between 13 to 19 November 2023 and saw 12,149 knives surrendered
or recovered.</p><p>On 25 January we laid the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive
Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 in Parliament. Subject
to parliamentary approval, this will prohibit the manufacture, supply, sale and possession
of zombie-style knives and machetes in England and Wales from 24 September 2024. From
26 August 2024 to 23 September 2024 we will be running a surrender and compensation
scheme so that those who own zombie-style knives and machetes which will be banned,
can surrender them and receive compensation.</p>
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