Knife Crime Awareness Week: Keeping education and prevention at the heart of communities

On 19–25 May Avon and Somerset Police united with key partners from local authorities, violence reduction partnerships, healthcare and education for Knife Crime Awareness Week. The week also coincided with our bi-annual Sceptre activity – a national policing operation that prioritises a holistic approach to reducing knife crime.

Although policing teams across the force work all year round to tackle knife crime and protect communities from knife-related harm, both the operation and awareness campaign provided a valuable opportunity to educate the public on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife, especially among children and young people. The week also highlighted what frontline officers are doing proactively to rid our streets of serious violence, from disrupting offenders to performing knife sweeps and engaging in vital prevention work.

The combined efforts of our neighbourhood, operational support, early intervention and intelligence teams resulted in:

• An additional 300 hours of intel-led patrols
• 36 knife sweeps carried out in public parks and community spaces
• 105 educational inputs delivered in schools across Avon and Somerset
• 29 community engagement activities, including ‘Talk to Us’ events and five Project Servator deployments.

Chief Inspector Mike Vass, Knife Crime Lead at Avon and Somerset Police, said: “The impact of a split-second decision to use a knife can be devastating. Not only can it shatter lives, but it can also heighten concern and fear within our communities.

“During our Sceptre week of action, we wanted to send the message that knife crime is preventable if we all work together.

“Our officers and staff continue to collaborate with partner agencies to problem-solve and address the root causes of serious violence, especially among young people who are more likely to be susceptible to harmful influences.

“Together, we’re safeguarding vulnerable people, encouraging the public to have open conversations with the children in their lives, delivering educational programmes, and signposting support services and surrender bin locations. We’re also engaging with local retailers, ensuring their compliance with the law and the safe sale of knives to the public.

“But this is a marathon not a sprint – to deliver lasting change, we need to fully understand why people choose to carry knives and what we can do, in policing and as a society, to address this and improve future outcomes. Enforcement and arrests can only achieve so much; they aren’t long-term solutions to bringing about behaviour change and protecting our communities.”

Communities and partners working together

Efforts to reduce knife crime across the region through education, prevention and enforcement have resulted in a drop in knife crime offences between January and March this year compared with the first three months of 2024.

During this period, public order offences with a knife have fallen by 35.6 per cent from 188 recorded offences in 2024 to 121 offences in 2025.

Similarly, offences related to theft with a knife and robbery with a knife have decreased by 38.1 per cent and 21.1 per cent respectively.

At the beginning of 2024, communities and police alike were shaken by a series of high-profile murders of children at the hands of knives in Bristol. These devastating events galvanised communities, charities and public sector organisations to take action and stand against knife crime through awareness-raising initiatives, campaigns and educational inputs, such as Unique Voice’s ‘Safer Together’ film. Alongside crucial police work, this common desire to make Avon and Somerset streets safer and protect young lives can be reflected in the 85.7 per cent reduction in fatalities with a knife during the January–March period.

This momentum will continue for the rest of the year following the launch of an intel-led patrol plan on 1 May that is specifically targeting street-based violence and deterring offenders. Trained officers have already spent more than 900 hours in key locations where there are serious violence and knife crime concerns.

Surrender knives to save lives

During Sceptre week, we also promoted our expanding surrender bin scheme with the recent installation of knife bins in Taunton, Worle, Yate, Yeovil and St Paul’s. Even to get rid of old kitchen knives, our bins ensure second-hand knives don’t fall into the wrong hands to cause harm.

We’ve recovered more than 7,000 knives and bladed articles from community surrender bins within the last 18 months, and these knives are being safely processed and sold commercially as scrap metal to partially fund knife crime prevention education.

Incredibly, more than 2,800 children and young people have already experienced the interactive knife crime scenario at Lifeskills since its launch earlier this year.

Strengthening our bleed kit partnership

A recent milestone for the Avon and Somerset Bleed Kit Partnership was announcing the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) as an official partner. With SWASFT’s involvement, we’re improving the life-saving support provided in an emergency, with 999 call handlers being able to direct callers to the nearest HeartSafe bleed kit location, where possible, and guide them remotely through its use.

Between September 2023 and May 2025, more than 600 bleed kits have been installed across Avon and Somerset. The kits contain medical equipment designed to control a catastrophic bleed and preserve life until trained medical responders arrive at the scene of an incident. To date, there have been nine instances of a catastrophic bleed where a life was saved by a nearby bleed kit.

Clare Moody, Police and Crime Commissioner said: 

“Knife crime is a tragedy that devastates families and communities, often driven by the exploitation of vulnerable young people. As Police and Crime Commissioner, tackling this issue is one of my key priorities because no one should lose a loved one to preventable harm. 

“Disrupting knife crime and ensuring our children and young people feel safe without resorting to carrying knives is crucial. This week of action has highlighted the importance of working together to address knife crime. Beyond enforcement, proceeds from surrendered knives are funding vital educational initiatives, such as the Lifeskills knife crime scenario, which helps young people understand the serious consequences of carrying a weapon. Together, we are not just removing knives but also building a culture of prevention and safety for future generations.”

Tackling knife crime is everyone’s responsibility

One of the most important messages that came out of Knife Crime Awareness Week is that knife crime is preventable if we come together as a society to raise awareness and make it harder and harder for people to carry knives.

We’re asking community members, including young people, to share any concerns and information they might have about issues in their local area and individuals they suspect are carrying a knife. This allows policing teams to build a picture of dangerous or at-risk individuals and knife crime hotspots so we can shape a response accordingly.

You can report a crime via the Avon and Somerset web form: Report the use of knives and weapons | Avon and Somerset Police

Alternatively, we encourage members of the public to report their concerns 100 per cent anonymously via Crimestoppers: Weapons crime | Crimestoppers

Fearless is a support service young people can use if they are aware of somebody carrying a knife and feel scared. Again, reports are made 100 per cent anonymously: Give information about crime 100% anonymously | Fearless | Crimestoppers