North Yorkshire is stepping up its efforts to tackle knife crime by installing 20 secure knife bins across the county following the success of a pilot scheme in Harrogate. During the trial period, over 1,600 knives and other bladed items were deposited in the Harrogate bin, demonstrating strong public support for the initiative. The expanded programme will launch in January, funded by a £15,000 grant from the York and North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning through its Serious Violence Duty Prevention and Early Intervention Fund.
The new bins will be placed in key locations, including Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Northallerton, Stokesley, Thirsk, Tadcaster, Selby, Malton, Pickering, Scarborough, Whitby, Eastfield, Colburn, Richmond, Skipton, and York. Once finalised, these locations will allow residents to safely dispose of knives and bladed articles. To ensure safety, individuals are encouraged to wrap blades securely in thick paper or cardboard and tape them before placing them in the bins. The containers are padlocked, bolted into the ground, and only accessible to police for collection and disposal.
Cllr Heather Phillips, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, said the trial’s success highlighted the need for further measures. “We want North Yorkshire to continue to be the safest place in England. But we have to accept that knife crime poses a serious threat to our communities. Following our knife bin pilot in Harrogate, people in other parts of the county have asked if they too can have them. While we may not have the number of incidents experienced in some larger cities, we need to do all we can to help prevent such tragic occurrences.”
The pilot bin, installed in Harrogate’s Dragon Road car park in January 2023, has already removed more than 1,630 knives and other dangerous articles from circulation. This proactive approach has been praised by local leaders, including Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, who said, “This project is a really good example of a proactive effort to create safer communities by preventing violent crime and is exactly the kind of thing the Mayor and I want to see more of. Knife crime is a national problem, and amnesties like this help to get dangerous weapons off the streets without putting police officers in danger.”
Nationally, knife-related crimes remain a concern, with the Office for National Statistics reporting a 4% increase in offences involving knives in the year ending June 2024, bringing the total to 50,973. Robberies involving knives also rose by 11% during this period. While North Yorkshire has significantly lower levels of knife crime than the national average, local police and councils stress the importance of remaining vigilant.
Detective Chief Inspector Jon Sygrove of North Yorkshire Police said, “Every blade that is taken out of circulation is one less item that can end up in the wrong hands. Schemes such as this, along with strong proactive policing, help to achieve that. As a result, North Yorkshire has one of the lowest levels of knife crime in England. But we can only reduce it further by working with other organisations and communities across the county to deter people from carrying weapons and prevent offences from happening.”
City of York Council’s director of environment, transport and planning, James Gilchrist, echoed the importance of the scheme, saying, “While York is one of the UK’s safest cities, we can never be complacent, and we welcome this scheme. Besides checking that retailers comply with laws which restrict the sale of knives, we remind people to put blades out of harm’s way and hand them into police stations – these bins add to that action, and we urge people to use them.”
The success of the Harrogate trial and the planned county-wide roll-out show a clear commitment to preventing knife crime and ensuring public safety. By providing a safe and anonymous way for individuals to surrender knives, North Yorkshire aims to reduce the risk of weapons falling into the wrong hands and maintain its reputation as one of England’s safest regions.
