Force welcomes amnesty response

Almost 300 knives have been handed in to Cumbria police since the start of a national amnesty.

Cumbria Police said the public were taking the amnesty seriously and the amnesty had also encouraged more calls about knife use.

A spokesman said despite there being the same number of knife incidents as this time last year, there were twice the number of reports of knife use.

Just after the amnesty began a man was fatally stabbed on a train in Cumbria.

According to officers police stations have received 270 weapons.

The spokesman said: "A comparison between a week this year in June and an equivalent week last year shows that there were about the same number of knife incidents, but twice the number of reports of knife use.

'Public concerns'

"The use of knives to commit serious crime in this county is not common.

"We are pleased that members of the public are taking the amnesty seriously.

"The number of calls we are getting about knives reflects the public concerns about the issue."

Thomas Lee Wood, 21, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, has been charged with murdering Thomas Grant on the train.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version