Macclesfield has more knives seized than Crewe in weeklong sting
Police officers in Macclesfield and across Cheshire have intensified their efforts in tackling knife crime as part of a national week of action.
Operation Sceptre ran from Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May, as part of a national effort to reduce the impact of knife crime in our communities.
And Macclesfield averaged ten knives a day seized from the streets over the seven day period.
For comparisons sakes, Macclesfield had more knives seized than Crewe, despite having a smaller population.
Crewe saw 60 knives seized, while Macclesfield had ten more with 70 knives nicked in the same period.
Despite this, Cheshire Police state that Cheshire continues to have one of the lowest rates of knife crime nationally, with recent figures showing a 2.4% decrease in the 12 months to March 2023 compared to the previous year.
In a statement sent to Macclesfield Nub News, a spokesperson wrote: "The force remains determined to further reduce the number of bladed weapons carried in our county following a recent rise in possession offences – a result of our officers taking a more proactive stop and search approach.
"This, the first of two Operation Sceptre weeks for 2023, has been an opportunity to highlight the great work conducted by our officers as the force continues to strive toward creating a weapons-free Cheshire.
Superintendent Andy Blizard, who is the force's Knife Crime Lead, said:
"We are extremely proud that Cheshire continues to see low levels of knife-related incidents, especially as knife crime is a growing issue nationally.
"However, having recently stepped up our approach to stop and search, we have seen a significant rise in people possessing bladed weapons; this mentality of needing to carry a knife to feel safe is something that Operation Sceptre has played a significant part in challenging.
"At Cheshire Constabulary we have a structured prepare, protect pursue and prevent approach for tackling knife crime that involves working with our various partner agencies, including local authorities, third sector organisations, youth representatives and community groups.
"The national week of action has been an opportunity to showcase the hard work of our officers and the initiatives we deploy to tackle the use of knives and other weapons."
As part of Operation Sceptre officers from across the county have stepped up their efforts in directly tackling knife crime.
Knife sweep operations conducted in parks and residential areas yielded positive results, with only two blades being recovered during 31 individual county-wide sweeps.
As well as this, our officers conducted 77 stop searches under Operation Sceptre, with 10 knife-related arrests being made as a direct result.
John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, added:
"Preventing and tackling crime is a priority in my Police and Crime Plan and each knife that has been surrendered or recovered by the police during Operation Sceptre could represent a life saved and contributes to making Cheshire an even safer place.
"Operation Sceptre provides an opportunity for agencies to come together to address the problem of knife crime, acting as a force for wider societal change. Knife crime isn't something the police can tackle on their own, so the engagement between local policing teams, schools, community groups and businesses will make it even more achievable."
This Operation Sceptre week has also seen some great engagement from our wider Cheshire community and partner organisations.
Over the course of the week, the force has seen over 180 bladed weapons voluntarily surrendered by members of the public to the 40 plus knife surrender bins located across the region.
According to Cheshire Police, Officers from Macclesfield North saw a particular surge of voluntarily handing over bladed weapons over to police.
In Chester, the public were shown a vast array of weapons that were seized or surrendered in the pursuit to keep these articles off the streets - with weapons such as machetes, axes and 'zombie' knives on display.
In Crewe, the current home of the Knife Angel sculpture, officers from the Local Policing Unit have been working alongside the Safer Cheshire East Partnership and the CrimeBeat charity in providing a programme of activities in the community during the Angel's residency in the town, helping educate and spread a message of non-violence.
Sergeant Steve Tandy of Crewe Local Police Unit, said:
"With the Knife Angel having returned to the county this month, along with the launch of Operation Sceptre last week, there has been no better time to highlight the outstanding efforts from our officers in keeping knife-related incidents across our region low.
"The recent securing of funding to distribute of these several game-changing Bleed Kits to several organisations across Crewe, we can limit the number of any potential fatalities or life changing injuries at the hands of knife crime."
To report any type of crime involving weapons call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Information can also be passed to the force online via this link. Anyone who knows someone that carries a knife can report it to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Elsewhere in local crime news, March 2023 saw the lowest number of reported crimes in Macclesfield Central this year, with just 136 crimes reported and 42 of these being violence and sexual offences.
Shoplifting came second at 26. There is no specific metric for knife crime from this Police UK data.
See Also: Macclesfield ceramicist gets her own new studio to teach the town pottery
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