Knife Amnesty

14 Feb 2006

The Home Secretary Charles Clarke today announced that a nationwide knives amnesty will be held between 24 May and 30 June. The amnesty is to be backed up by a tough police enforcement campaign to drive home the message that carrying knives is not acceptable. Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington welcomed the move but warned that more long-term solutions are also needed.

Diane, who sat on the Violent Crime Reduction Bill Committee late last year, said: "As an MP I have long campaigned for the law prohibiting the sale of knives to under-16s to be strengthened and the penalty for carrying illegal weapons toughened. An amnesty is a great opportunity for people to get rid off their weapons and help make the streets of London safer before they land themselves and others in serious trouble."

Diane went on: "We have had several knife incidents here in Hackney this year. And we all remember the tragic death of Robert Levy a sixteen year old stabbed to death just because he was trying to protect a friend. It is time the community acted to free our streets from the blight knife crime."

The amnesty is aimed at those who carry knives and offensive weapons. A public campaign supporting the amnesty will urge people to hand in their knives during the five week period, when they will be immune from prosecution for possessing them.

Diane added: "People who carry a knife or dangerous weapon mistakenly believe they are protecting themselves and have no intention of becoming a murderer – but coupled with drink or drugs these weapons too often result in senseless bloodshed. I urge those in possession of illegal weapons to take this opportunity to give them up and help put an end to violent crime." Diane went on to warn that: "of coursed a knife amnesty alone won't provide any long-term solutions to tackling violence. However, it does go some way towards challenging the underlying culture of violence and the social 'acceptability' of carrying knives among some young men. Previous amnesties elsewhere have already taken masses of deadly weapons off the streets and I hope people will do the right thing and come forward."



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