Thank you for taking the local priority survey recently, your ongoing feedback about local issues of concern is vital in order to enable us to target resources effectively. Although you did not raise Knife crime as a concern in your last feedback, this issue has been raised by other members of your local area so we thought you would also like to receive this update.

This week your Neighbourhood Beat Officers and Neighbourhood Task Force are taking part in Operation Sceptre, which is a national UK policing initiative aimed at tackling knife crime. The operation focuses on a multi-layered approach, combining:

1) Enforcement: weapon sweeps in public spaces, proactive patrols, stop checks of known offenders and arrests.

2) Prevention & Education: school visits, youth engagement, and community events to raise awareness about the dangers and consequences of carrying knives.

3) Retailer Compliance: reinforcing ID checks (e.g., Challenge 25) and preventing irresponsible knife sales by conducting test purchases from retailers to ensure compliance with knife sale laws.

The goal is to reduce knife-related violence, remove weapons from circulation, and address the root causes of knife crime through community engagement and education.

The Kent and Medway Violence Reduction Unit website - https://kentandmedwayvru.co.uk/parent-carer-resources/ - features posters, videos and guidance to give parents, carers and family members practical tools to discourage knife carrying. They explain the serious risks and legal consequences, offer tips for starting conversations without confrontation, and point to trusted support services. By using the information in these posters, families can spot warning signs early, talk openly with young people, and guide them toward safer choices.

If you have any information about someone carrying knives, please report it to Kent Police. Information can also be shared anonymously with CrimeStoppers using their website or contact number. #OpSceptre

Knife crime can destroy lives and fracture communities and disproportionately blights the lives of the young and disadvantaged. Incidents have risen in recent years and tackling knife crime is one of policing’s top priorities.

Knife crime – a problem solving guide has been produced in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs' Council and through consultation with 24 police forces and violence reduction units in England and Wales.

Using a problem-solving approach to tackling the issue, the guide contains:

• broad approaches that are effective in tackling knife crime, including good practice from across the UK.
• a practical toolkit of tactics to use, such as interventions in schools, weapon sweeps and focused deterrence
• advice on how to use data to tailor a response to local problems.

If you ever experience this issue or have information regarding an incident, please report it using our online reporting tools at https://www.kent.police.uk, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, you can stay 100 per cent anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Please keep your views updated by taking a few minutes to update our priority survey. You can do it from the button below and we send it out regularly so you can influence what our priorities are. You can also change which issues we update you about by clicking the settings button below.

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