610 knives and 79 other weapons have been taken off our streets in six months thanks to four new knife amnesty bins.
The bins, installed by charity Word4Weapons, allow people to dispose of knives and other weapons anonymously and safely. The knives are destroyed and are not investigated by the police.
The bins were unveiled in January in Barnet Grove, north of the Bethnal Green Road junction, E2 6AD; Vallance Road opposite Underwood Road, E1 5BQ; Burslem Street between the recycling bins, E1 2LL; and Brownfield Street next to number 107, E14 6ND.
The bins were emptied at the end of June.
The other weapons alongside the knives include scissors, kitchen knives and utensils, knuckles, swords, and DIY tools.
Cllr Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said:
“Tower Hamlets is largely a safe place to live, work and visit, but like all London boroughs, we do sadly see some knife crime.
“People carrying knives on our streets is illegal and will not be tolerated.
“These amnesty bins take dangerous weapons off our streets and prevent them being used to harm anyone.
“Each knife taken off our streets is potentially a life saved.”
If you want to dispose of a knife or other sharp weapon, please wrap it in several layers of cardboard or newspaper and secure it with plenty of sticky tape so that the blade is completely protected and the knife cannot easily be removed, before placing it in a secure cardboard box.
It’s an offence to have a knife in a public place and there aren’t many reasonable excuses for having one. If you are depositing a knife in one of the amnesty bins, please make sure that it is safely wrapped.
If you are worried about the safety of a child or young person, you can see the council and national help available here.
Posted on Tuesday 18th July 2023