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20
Feb
Knife bins installed in Ripon, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge
The trial of a knife-drop bin in Harrogate has led to the scheme being rolled out across 16 other towns and cities around the county.
North Yorkshire's first knife bin was installed in the car-park on Dragon Road, near Asda, in January 2023, and in the two years since, more than 1,800 bladed items have been left in it.
Any blades that might otherwise find their way into the wrong hands can be deposited in the bin safely and anonymously, before being collected and destroyed by the police.
Now, another 20 bins are being sited in Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Northallerton, Stokesley, Thirsk, Tadcaster, Selby, Malton, Pickering, Scarborough, Whitby, Colburn, Richmond, Skipton and York.
As part of the rollout, North Yorkshire Police’s website will include an interactive map with locations and information about the knife bins.
The joint initiative by North Yorkshire Council, City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police has been made possible by a grant of more than £15,000 from the York and North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning, part of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, through its North Yorkshire and York serious violence duty prevention and early intervention fund.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, Cllr Heather Phillips, whose responsibilities include community safety, said:
The roll-out of these new knife bins follows calls from people who witnessed the success of the trial in Harrogate and wanted to have something similar where they live.
It is not an admission that there is a problem in these communities, more an opportunity for people to take preventative measures to safeguard members of their family, their neighbours and others where they live.
If we can prevent just one knife or bladed article getting into the wrong hands, then these bins will have proven to be worthwhile.
Skipton Town Council member, Cllr Brian McDaid, who chairs the town’s community safety working group, with North Yorkshire Council’s elected member for Skipton North and Embsay with Eastby, Cllr David Noland at the town's new knife bin.
Although levels of knife crime in North Yorkshire are two-and-a-half times lower than the national average, our district is not immune to its dangers and effects.
Two years ago – just weeks after the knife bin was installed in Harrogate – Harrogate teenager Seb Mitchell was stabbed to death at a party.
In June of that year, a man survived a stabbing on Dragon Road, just yards away from the knife bin.
There have been numerous incidents of knife crime in the district since then, the most recent just three weeks ago.
The York and North Yorkshire deputy mayor for policing, fire and crime, Jo Coles, said:
Across York and North Yorkshire over the last year there were around 300 incidents involving knives.
Knife crime is a national problem and although our region has relatively low levels of this type of crime, the risk to our communities from knives is extremely serious.
Knife bin schemes like this help to remove dangerous weapons from our streets, making our communities safer. The expansion in the number of knife bins is therefore welcome progress towards the creation of safer places for everyone.
Anyone wanting to deposit a knife is advised to wrap the blade in either thick paper or cardboard and secure it with tape as a safety precaution. Once secure, they should take the knife directly to the bin location and deposit it by dropping it through the hatch.
The exact locations of all the knife bins in York and North Yorkshire can be seen on the North Yorkshire Police website at www.northyorkshire.police.uk/knifebins.
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