Knife amnesties 'have no effect'

**Standard Dave** · 12-07-06, 08:50 AM

Knife amnesties have no real impact on reducing knife crime, according to a Metropolitan Police report.
An eight-week Met Police amnesty over the summer showed that, after a slight dip in knife-related crime, levels were back to normal within weeks, it said.

Pre-amnesty there were an average of 34.9 daily knife offences in London, dropping to 31 in the amnesty. Six weeks later, that figure was 34.2.

The report was obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information act.

More than 100,000 knives were handed into police forces in England, Scotland and Wales this summer during a five-week nationwide campaign and the amnesty was declared a success by ministers.

But an analysis of the concurrent but longer eight-week amnesty by the Metropolitan Police - between May and July - appears to question the effectiveness of the operation.

The report said "no changing trends" had been visible during the first five weeks of the operation from 15 May.

For the final three weeks of the operation and in the following weeks "a small downward trend appeared".

"In late August 2006 - six weeks after the operation ends - offence levels tend to return to pre-operation values", the report adds.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the force always recognised that a knife amnesty on its own was of limited effectiveness in tackling knife crime.

Amnesties needed to be used in conjunction with other initiatives, the spokesman added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6216118.stm

Well

criminals and idiots aren't the ones handing knifes in it's old dears who find there dead husbands WW2 bayonet or people who once had the blade for work but no longer use it.

**Jackalope** · 12-07-06, 10:24 AM

Why do they keep thinking that inanimate objects cause crime? Crime is caused by douchebags that are allowed to roam free on the streets, and they'll use whatever they can get their hands on.

**Trojan 42** · 12-07-06, 10:56 AM

Amnesties have no effect? Are they sure? I thought all the naughty people handed in their knives, then went and purchased new ones, thus boosting the economy.

**Standard Dave** · 12-07-06, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by Jackalope

Why do they keep thinking that inanimate objects cause crime? Crime is caused by douchebags that are allowed to roam free on the streets, and they'll use whatever they can get their hands on.

Quite true to borrow the words from a rap song by Welsh rap artists Goldy looking chain

"guns don't kill people rappers do, " .

**HardNoseBull** · 12-07-06, 01:21 PM

We have the same crap over here gun amnesty, gun registration, all it does is punish honest people. I have asked convicted robbers,"hey convict, did you take the the time to register the illegal MAC-10 you bought for hundred bucks on the street, before you robbed the liquor store?", convict replies, "Uh no Boss, did I have to? I dun aint getting any more time cuz of that am i?". It's just stupid and a waster of money.