Police declare weapons amnesty to combat serious violence in Milton Keynes

A weapons amnesty is to take place as part of Thames Valley Police’s ongoing work to combat serious violence in Milton Keynes.

The amnesty, taking place on Saturday (12/3) at the Safety Centre in Kiln Farm, will allow people to hand in any items which they believe could be illegal or dangerous.

Police officers and a number of independent support workers will be available for anyone who would like to discuss concerns or ask any questions.

New government legislation was introduced last year to make it more difficult for young people to get hold of knives and other dangerous items.

As such, it is now illegal to possess certain weapons in private property, including your home. This includes specific types of knives such as flick knives, zombie knives and samurai swords.

Superintendent Marc Tarbit, local policing area commander for Milton Keynes, said: “Weapons are designed to hurt people and we call on the support of the community to get them out of Milton Keynes.

“The new legislation introduced last year will help us to do this, but we have heard from a number of people on the streets of Milton Keynes that they are not aware of the new rules. We hope that this weapons amnesty will help not only in taking knives off the streets, but in raising awareness that possession of items like this is not acceptable.

“If you have a dangerous weapon in your home, you could end up with a criminal record. A criminal record could stop you from visiting other countries or from getting certain jobs.

“Carrying a weapon won’t protect you. You might think you won’t use it but you are more likely to be injured or involved in violence if you are carrying a weapon.

“Every victim who loses their life to serious violence or knife crime has a family, and that family is left without a son or daughter, father or mother, uncle or auntie, nephew or niece.

“That’s why we want to work with our communities to get rid of these weapons, and events like Saturday’s amnesty will go a long way towards doing this, as well as preventing violence where we live and work.

“By doing this, we will be able to make a strong and sustained difference to serious violence in Milton Keynes.”