Protect yourself and others from knife crime

Knife crime has a tragic effect on our communities and we are engaging with young people to divert them from serious violence and knife crime.

Did you know:

you are 50% more likely to be hurt if you carry a knife yourself? Carrying a knife does not keep you safe. Often, carrying a knife into a conflict only escalate things.
possession of knife or bladed weapon is a criminal offence, even if you do not intend to use it? If you are found in possession of a knife, you could get up to two years in prison.
99% of young people do not carry a knife? Yet there is a misconception that most young people carry knives and that creates a sense of fear.
there is no safe place to stab someone. If a blade hits a major artery or other organ, there may be fatal consequences. Even a short blade could be life-threatening.

Stop knife crime

Someone I know carries a knife

If you worry about someone you know who is carrying a knife, report it to someone you know and trust, such as a:

teacher
trusted adult
parent or other family member
guardian

You, or someone on your behalf, can report the use of knives and weapons to us.

The Fearless website offers a lot of support, guidance and advice on what to do if you are worried about many different types of crime, including knife crime.

You can anonymously report via their website by calling 0800 555 111. None of your personal information will be recorded, nor will an officer call you back.

The Ben Kinsella Trust also has a free guide and offers practical advice for parents, carers, and professionals on how to talk to young people about knife crime.

I want to stop carrying a knife

If you already carry a knife or worry about being pressured into carrying one, Childline can offer you help and advice.

You can also safely and anonymously get rid of a knife in one of our weapon surrender bins, located across Avon and Somerset Police.

We will not follow up or contact you on the back of you disposing of a knife, unless there is any evidence to suggest it has been used as part of a crime.

Knife surrender bins

If you would like to safely dispose of a knife or bladed weapon, you can anonymously place them in our knife surrender bins.

By doing this, you will prevent these items from ending up in accessible bins and potentially getting into the wrong hands.

We destroy most knives or bladed weapons put into our bins, and we will only try and identify you if we believe the weapon was used in a crime.

Before you surrender a knife or bladed weapon

Wrap it in something, such as a towel, and carry it in a bag to prevent injury
Make a specific journey to dispose of it, rather than carrying the item in public for longer than necessary
Consider going in daylight hours for your own safety

Permanent knife surrender bin locations

These are available 24/7 and are not monitored.

Community knife surrender bin locations

Castle Park, Bristol City Centre (near the church grounds opposite entrance to The Galleries)
Staple Hill, Broad Street (opposite Page Park)
The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, BS4 1DQ
Trojan Free Fighters, St. Jude’s, BS2 9DA

We want to install more knife surrender bins in community-based locations across the region. To register an interest, speak to your Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Immediate danger

Call 999 if there is an ongoing incident involving a knife or bladed weapon.

Working with young people

Avon and Somerset Police is part of a multi-agency approach involving health and social care partners, local authorities, support services, and communities.

Avon and Somerset Violence Reduction Partnership

We work closely with the Avon and Somerset Violence Reduction Partnership to help tackle serious violence with education and early interventions.

The VRP covers the five local authorities in Avon and Somerset – Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.

Each VRP works to identify those most at risk of becoming involved in serious violence, whether that is someone being harmed or causing harm, taking a child-centred approach and recognising the vulnerabilities that surround this.

Many children involved in serious violence themselves are victims themselves, via exploitation, poverty, discrimination, bullying, or peer pressure.

We work with communities, parents, and education around young children to understand what is best for an individual, and the risks posed to each child.

Interventions include initiatives such as:

mentoring
training young people to deal with conflict
upskilling professionals who work with young people
funding sport and youth services
advising parents, schools, and young people around knife crime

Blunt Truth workshops

Blunt Truth is a collaboration between Avon and Somerset Police and the NHS.

The workshops are delivered in schools to pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 to:

encourage them to report, if they know someone is carrying a knife
educate them on the consequences of carrying a knife
offer practical first-aid skills to help if someone has been stabbed

Pupils watch a film which shows the different outcomes should they do the ‘right thing’ and report concerns that someone they know is carrying a knife, compared to the tragic consequences of not reporting and seeing an incident play out.

We then have an open discussion with the pupils, offering advice on who to go to if they are concerned, before NHS colleagues provide hands-on first-aid training.

Emergency bleed kits

Members of the public, business owners, councils or community groups can buy a bleed kit from Avon and Somerset Police for emergency use in their local area.