New surrender bins and van to fight knife crime

People are being urged to surrender knives as part of a month-long campaign targeting areas of the country with high rates of knife crime.

The government-led knife surrender, backed by charities Words4Weapons and Fazamnesty, will see 37 weapon collection bins in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and London.

A mobile knife surrender bin mounted on a van is also being brought in.

Faron Paul, who founded Fazamnesty after he survived two knife attacks, said: "This initiative is an important step towards preventing violence, building trust, and supporting our ongoing efforts to create safer, stronger communities for everyone."

Along with the bins already placed across the West Midlands Police force area, the new ones will be on Far Gosford Street, Coventry and at St Joseph's Church in Wolverhampton.

Speaking to local residents in Coventry, one of the new surrender bin locations, local resident Neil Tigo told the BBC "I don't see the harm in it, but I don't see how much of a dent it will make in actual knife crime.

"I don't think the people who would be inclined towards knife crime would be the ones putting knives in the bins."

Another resident, Haley Treaty, said: "I've got brothers myself and it is a worry when they go out that people are using knives, so I think it's a good thing encouraging people to use the bins.

"I see what people are saying about it being a waste of money if people are going to carry on using knives anyway, but it's better than nothing."

Responding to concerns, Mr Paul said it was about more than just offering people a place to dispose of knives.

"I've actually seen a lot of people who started out on a path where they had nothing but bad intentions, but after handing in their weapons, they've got additional support and gone on to become better people," he said.

A ninja sword surrender and compensation scheme will also be running at police stations across England and Wales, in preparation for the nationwide ban on 1 August.

In a statement, policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "The launch of the scheme is a result of months of collaborative working with the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime, and I'm optimistic about what we can achieve together over the next month and then the years to come as part of our Plan for Change."

Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.