COUNCILLORS heard that Wellington police are doing all they can to stop knife crime from becoming a problem in the town.

Sgt Jon O’Connor said that local officers had recently been involved in a national scheme aimed at reducing knife crime, although he told Wellington Town Council’s meeting on June 1 that the area had seen very few incidents in the past.

“We recently took part in a national initiative called Operation Sceptre which is aimed at reducing knife crime,” said Sgt Jon O’Connor. “We do not see anywhere near the levels of knife crime that some of the larger towns suffer, but it remains important that education and awareness is spread as widely as possible so that any temptation to carry a knife is diminished.

“We continue to work with retailers to monitor sales and displays and I would encourage parents to maintain a frequent audit of knives within the household which might be accessible.”

Sgt O’Connor added: “There is also a knife amnesty bin outside Wellington Police Station where any found on unwanted knives can be safely discarded.”

He was asked as to whether they actually saw any bladed items handed in as part of the knife amnesty and he confirmed they did.

“Sometimes we get the occasional unwanted cutlery set which is put in the amnesty bin by someone rather than them taking it to the tip,” he quipped. “But we do sometimes get ornamental knives handed in which have been found when somebody has been clearing out the loft.

“It is good to get sharp objects off the streets.”

If anyone has any questions or enquiries they wish to make with the team, the enquiry office at Wellington Police Station is open from 10am to 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Police can be contacted via the Avon & Somerset Police website or by calling 101.