Hundreds Of Weapons Seized In Sussex During Week Of Action

Hundreds of weapons were seized during a week of action to tackle knife crime across Sussex.

Sussex Police joined with forces across the country to support Operation Sceptre – a national week of education, engagement, and enforcement around knife crime.

Between May 15 and 19, officers worked with community partners and stakeholders to tackle knife crime and raise awareness of the dangers of carrying knives.

Hundreds of weapons were seized, multiple people arrested, and thousands of members of the public were spoken to about knife crime.

The activity complements the force’s year-round activity to combat knife crime and serious violence, known as Operation Safety, which has a primary focus on reducing knife crime committed in public spaces against young people.

The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows Sussex recorded 55 knife offences per 100,000 population in the year ending December 2022, whilst the national average stands at 85 per 100,000 based on the 39 forces who use this recording method.

Here are some of the results from Operation Sceptre:

Brighton and Hove

In Brighton and Hove, 233 weapons were seized by officers or voluntarily surrendered. Ninety-five of these were recovered from amnesty bins and 129 were collected from a YMCA hostel.

Officers engaged with more than 700 people throughout the week, providing information and advice about knife-related crime and knife safety.

Neighbourhood Youth Officers visited seven local schools and colleges and three university campuses to talk about hate and knife crime, deliver knife safety advice and offer reassurance.

Twenty-four pubs were visited in the city centre to distribute leaflets and brief staff on how to report knife-related crimes. Officers also visited multiple taxi ranks and bus depots to engage with drivers and encourage them to report knife crime, plus five language schools and nine hostels.

East Sussex

Officers carried out six weapon sweeps, two searches and made two arrests in East Sussex. Six amnesty bins were placed across the division and ten weapons were recovered.

Over the course of Op Sceptre week, East Sussex officers engaged with more than 1,100 people. Visiting ten schools and colleges, students were spoken to in classrooms, during lunch breaks, and before the start of their day, with the deployment of a weapons arch.

An important part of preventing knife crime is preventing the sale of weapons. Officers visited 21 retailers across East Sussex to carry out test purchases by underage volunteers. Seven of these retailers failed and were given warnings and words of advice regarding ‘Challenge 25’. In each case Trading Standards were informed.

West Sussex

West Sussex officers recovered 181 weapons during Op Sceptre week, from their eight weapon sweeps and six amnesty bins.

Officers visited 28 schools and youth groups across the division, engaging with and educating over 700 students, as well as delivering knife safety advice to teachers and staff.

PCSOs joined with the Bognor BID Business Wardens and Arun District Council Anti-Social Behaviour Officers to patrol various hotspots in Bognor Regis town centre. Officers spoke with members of the public and groups of young people to gauge current concerns around the town and gave reassurance and advice.

Chief Inspector Simon Yates, the force lead for knife crime and serious violence, said:

“Operation Sceptre was a really successful week of prevention, engagement, and enforcement across Sussex.

“Tackling an issue as complex as knife crime requires teamwork and a joined-up approach with all of the agencies involved in the Violence Reduction Partnership.

“Op Sceptre is a great opportunity to showcase that work, but I must stress that we are committed to tackling these issues all year round to ensure Sussex remains a safe place to live and work, as evidenced in the statistics Office for National Statistics data.”

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said:

“We know that a knife in the wrong hands can have awful consequences and it's why my message remains: lose the knife, not a life. It’s simply not true that carrying a knife or bladed weapon makes you any safer, in fact it can actually increase your risk of being injured. Knife crime also leads others to feel unsafe and fearful of where they live and work.

“Whilst Sussex Police work relentlessly all year round to stamp out knife-crime in our county, the Op Sceptre week of action gives the opportunity to speak to those most at risk, provide informed and targeted interventions in conjunction with partners and to understand the motivations behind carrying a knife and its associated crime. This type of engagement, alongside the provision of amnesty bins and with targeted enforcement, has proven successful in people binning their blades, making Sussex streets safer.”

To find out more about the dedicated work tackling serious violence and knife crime in Sussex, visit our web page. Young people can receive and report information around knife crime anonymously via Fearless.org.

You can also talk to someone anonymously by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Contact the police online or by calling 101 – always dial 999 in an emergency.