Figures reveal number of knife crime incidents in North Yorkshire schoolsHarrogate anti-knife crime scheme to be expanded across county

A scheme to tackle knife crime in Harrogate that collected more than 50 blades within its first month is to be expanded with £15,000 of funding.

A metal safe bin was installed in January at the Dragon Road car park in Harrogate and was used by people surrendering knives that might otherwise be used as offensive or dangerous weapons.

Between January and last week, which was national Knife Crime Awareness Week, more than 500 knives and bladed articles were deposited at that location.

The new funding has been awarded to North Yorkshire Council from the Office of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Serious Violence Duty – Prevention and Early Intervention fund.

It will enable the council, in partnership with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police, to install knife-drop bins across the North Yorkshire and York.

Following local government reorganisation, North Yorkshire Council has committed to expanding the scheme. Although North Yorkshire is regarded as one of the safest counties in England and Wales, knife crime remains an issue.

There were more than 2,700 recorded incidents in the Harrogate district where a knife or bladed article was involved or mentioned between January 2020 and June 2022.

Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said:

“Knife bins have proved their worth wherever they have been located.

“I am delighted that my office has been able to provide funding to this project. We can never truly reverse the impact of a violent crime after it has occurred, and so it is crucial that we are able to support preventative measures like this which are proven to reduce the risk of these crimes happening in the first place.“My office supports a range of services designed to do just that, providing support for victims of crime as well as addressing the underlying causes of reoffending.

“North Yorkshire is statistically one of the safest parts of the UK, but that does not mean we should ever rest on our laurels, and we will always strive to ensure that residents of our region are able to be safe and feel safe.”

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The number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales is reported to be at its highest level since records began more than 75 years ago.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 282 homicides were committed using a knife or sharp instrument in the year to March 2022, which is a 19 per cent rise when compared to the previous year.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, Cllr David Chance, said:

“I am delighted the bid for funding had been approved.

“Knife bins will not reduce these horrendous statistics on their own, but they have proven to be a successful way of preventing knives and bladed articles from getting into the wrong hands.

“Knife crime has devastating consequences for all those involved. If installing these bins leads to the prevention of just one death, then the investment will have been worthwhile.”

Locations are currently being considered for the new knife-drop bins. Once the locations have been decided, members of the public will be able to deposit the knife or bladed article through the bin’s hatch. People are advised to wrap the blade in thick paper or cardboard and secure with tape as a safety precaution.

The bins will then be emptied by officers from North Yorkshire Police and the items disposed of.

The Government’s Serious Violence Duty, introduced in January, requires the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to bring organisations, such as North Yorkshire Council, together to develop and implement strategies that help prevent and reduce serious violence.

North Yorkshire Council’s head of community safety and CCTV, Odette Robson, said:

“This initiative helps us to safeguard our communities and fulfil our commitment to tackling serious violence.”

Second knife amnesty bin installed in Harrogate

A second knife amnesty bins is being installed in Harrogate this week as part of a national police action week.

The town already has a permanent knife bin between Asda car park and Dragon Road car park to encourage people to safely get rid of potentially lethal weapons.

But a second amnesty bin is being put at Harrogate Police Station on Beckwith Head Road this week.

Bins are being installed in police stations in Harrogate, York, Scarborough, Malton, Northallerton and Skipton as part of the ‘save a life – bin a knife’ national police campaign running from today until Sunday.

Police will also be educating young people this week about the dangers of knife crime as well as carrying out high-visibility patrols, stop and searches and other enforcement activity in areas linked to possible knife crime.

A North Yorkshire Police press release today said:

“Simply wrap an unwanted knife in thick paper or cardboard as a safety precaution, and bring it directly to one of the locations.

“You do not have to give your name or any other details – just drop it in the clearly-marked bin.

“The aim of the bins is not only to reduce knife crime, but also give reassurance to people who simply want to dispose of unwanted knives and sharp objects – such as old kitchen knives, or unused work tools – safely and securely.”

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Detective Superintendent Andrea Kell, of North Yorkshire Police, said:

“Every knife placed in an amnesty bin is one less knife that could be used as a lethal weapon on the streets. That’s why I’m urging everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of them this week.”

Police reassure Harrogate councillors over knife crime concerns

North Yorkshire Police has sought to reassure people that Harrogate does not have a worse problem with knife crime than other places.

Councillors questioned police about the issue last night after 17-year-old Seb Mitchell lost his life on Claro Road following an incident on February 19.

Rich Ogden, chief inspector at the force, told Harrogate Borough Council‘s overview and scrutiny commission the county was one of the safest in England. However, he added that the force continued to work with young people to educate them not to carry knives.

The meeting heard 98 knives have been dropped off at an amnesty bin in Dragon Road car park at Asda in Harrogate since it was installed in January.

When asked by Cllr Chris Aldred, chair of the committee, whether Harrogate had a problem with knife crime, Ch Insp Ogden said:

“We are living in one of the safest counties in England and we must not forget that.

“Any incident involving a knife can end in tragedy.”

He added:

“I don’t see that Harrogate has a problem more than anywhere else.

“But it would be wrong of me to say that knives are prevalent on the streets. We’ve got to encourage people not to use knives and carry knives at any point. Particularly those who take knives out for their own protection.”

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Ch Insp Ogden added that a large amount of the knives that have been dropped off in the amnesty bin were household kitchen knives and that the facility helped the public to dispose of them safely.

Superintendent Teresa Lam told the committee:

“Even though we are considered the safest force area, we continually liaise with our counterparts across the country including London so that we are continually understanding what the trends and patterns are.”

A 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was initially charged with attempted murder on February 20. He is due to appear in court on March 14. Ch Insp Ogden told the meeting it was now a murder investigation.

Knife surrender bin to be installed in Harrogate in first for county

North Yorkshire’s first permanent knife surrender bin is set to be installed in Harrogate as part of a drive to tackle rising crime and take deadly weapons off the streets.

The county saw an 80% rise in reported knife crimes from 2020 to 2021 – and police have linked the increase to peer pressure, gang culture and cross-border criminals moving into the area.

In the Harrogate district alone, there have been more than 2,700 knife-related incidents since the start of 2020.

This included two murders on Mayfield Grove, and a man being left with life changing injuries after an attack near the Victoria Shopping Centre.

Other incidents included a man being arrested with 10 knives and a sword on Skipton Road, and three young people pulling a knife on a milk man in Knaresborough.

The increasing trend is being mirrored across the country and knife surrender bins are used by police forces during week-long campaigns.

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But not every area has a permanent drop off point where people can discard knives or any other bladed weapons.

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council have proposed to install a permanent knife surrender bin at the Dragon Road car park as part of a 12-month pilot which if successful could see more bins rolled out across the county.

A joint report from the authorities said “early prevention is key” and that “every knife deposited in the bin is one less that could cause injury to others”.

The report said.

“There is an increasing need for an all year round facility to enable people to safely, and anonymously, discard any knives/weapons found, not just during police campaigns at police stations.

“The vast majority of police intelligence submissions are in relation to young people carrying knives for protection from other young people with whom they are ‘feuding’, to protect themselves from being attacked whilst carrying drugs and also to ‘tax’ known drug dealers or those in debt to drug dealers.

“North Yorkshire Police’s aim is to roll out the bins across the entire force area subject to their evaluation of the pilot project.”

Harrogate has been chosen for the pilot because it makes up for more than half of knife-related incidents in the local command area which also includes Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire, the report added.

It also said the proposed knife bin was designed to prevent break-ins and that residents in the Dragon Road area had been contacted about the plans.

A decision to proceed with the pilot is due to be signed off by the council’s cabinet member for housing and safer communities, councillor Mike Chambers, at a meeting next Tuesday.

Man arrested after police seize sword, knives and drugs in Harrogate

A man has been arrested after police found bags of drugs, 10 knives and a sword at a house in Harrogate yesterday evening.

Police were called to reports of a man threatening a woman in the Skipton Road area and officers detained a man in his 40s at the scene.

He was arrested and searched, and officers found bags of white powder, which is believed to be cocaine, two knives and a quantity of cash in the suspect’s possession.

This led to a further search of his house in the Skipton Road area of Harrogate, where further items were discovered including:

The items were seized and the suspected drugs have been sent for analysis.

The man was arrested on suspicion of drug, weapon and public order offences and remains in custody today while enquiries continue.

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Police issue knife warning in Harrogate district schools

Police are urging parents to have “difficult conversations” with children after a spate of knife incidents in Harrogate district schools.

North Yorkshire Police said it was aware of five incidents of knives being brought into schools since September.

They include children flashing knives in the playground to other students.

Boys and girls had both been involved.

Officers said that, while the number of cases were high, no pupils or staff had been harmed or threatened.

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Police Constable Colin Steele, from Harrogate neighbourhood policing team said:

“Not only are young people risking their life, and the lives of other students and teaching staff by carrying a knife, they are also showing a disregard for their own futures. 

“Carrying a knife on school premises is a serious offence and a conviction for such an offence can stay with you for life. 

“I encourage the parents and guardians of young people to have what can be a difficult conversation with their children around the dangers of carrying knives and the real implications this can have on their child’s future.”

The police praised teaching staff for identifying children carrying knives at school.