Hundreds of weapons surrendered in zombie knife amnesty

Dozens of suspected zombie-style knives or machetes were handed in at police station front counters across Essex as part of a national surrender scheme.

Police forces across England and Wales, including Essex Police, participated in the Home Office-led amnesty, which ran from 26 August until 23 September.

Zombie-style knives and machetes are now outlawed by new legislation as of 24 September.

The law covers the manufacture, supply, sale, possession and importation of these weapons.

Ahead of the new law, previous owners of specified zombie knives and machetes were able to submit a claim for compensation while surrendering the weapons at police station front counters.

Throughout the scheme, we saw more than 200 knives of many varieties presented at our front counters for surrender.

To date, 15 have been confirmed by the Home Office to meet the criteria for their compensation scheme, with more than 70 still awaiting final confirmation.

All have been seized, taken out of circulation and will be destroyed.

In a single surrender, a couple who were self-confessed collectors handed in 70 bladed items, with at least 11 believed to fit the compensation scheme.

Across this week, 15 knife bins – locations where members of the public can safely deposit bladed items – have been emptied.

The bins were last emptied in April this year.

Thousands of knives, including machetes, zombie-style knives, swords and even axes were amongst the contents of the bins.

Each is a weapon removed from the streets of Essex and safely out of the hands of anyone who would use them to do harm.

Throughout the period of the scheme, officers also proactively engaged with residents in high harm hotspots across the county.

These engagements took place in our Op Grip hotspot patrolling zones – areas data analysis shows have a higher probability of a serious violent incident.

Officers went door-to-door explaining the surrender scheme and new legislation, before urging residents to surrender any potentially illegal knives.

During the first deployment in Southend, more than 20 knives were voluntarily handed over.

'Each knife handed in is another off our streets'

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Hughes, of our Serious Violence Unit, said:

“I’ve been really clear throughout this scheme that this is about targeting those knives which clearly have no logical purpose beyond their nefarious use by criminals.
“We’ve seen a solid uptake and understanding from the public and from retailers around the purpose of this scheme, which has resulted in more than 200 knives being brought into our front counters for examination and surrender.
“This was a chance, and I think it’s right people were given that chance, to surrender these items without sanction, and for people to play their part in keeping Essex safe ahead of this new legislation.
“Each knife surrendered, each knife dropped into one of our bins, is a knife taken out of circulation and a knife that can’t be used to harm or threaten another person. I can only ever see that as a positive.
“I welcome this strengthening of the law, which from this week will allow us to seize these frightening weapons no matter the circumstances – whether they are seized in public or even in private properties.
“This also toughens the law around the sale and manufacture of these weapons, and we’ve seen engagement throughout the surrender scheme either from people who collect these items or who sell them.
“The uptake on the surrender scheme has been really positive, but now our attention moves towards this new law and its enforcement.
“We will continue to crack down hard on anyone we find possessing these weapons, in any circumstance, and will also continue to work with our retailers around the sale of knives of all varieties.
“While the online space continues to be a challenge nationally, we will play our part in Essex in putting these new powers to use.
“If you’ve missed the scheme, and you still have an item you want to surrender, we have 15 knife bins in easily accessible locations across the county.
“I would urge you to come and drop it in to your nearest location. If you don’t, you could face arrest and a criminal charge.”

We recorded 1,564 incidents of knife-enabled crime in Essex in the 12 months to date, a 5% decrease on pre-Covid levels.

It is hoped the new legislation will broaden and strengthen the classification of ‘zombie’ knives and machetes, helping our officers to identify and seize more of these weapons and take them out of circulation.

The fresh powers will also assist us in pursuing prosecutions against those who possess such weapons, even in private properties.

The seizure of knives and weapons is just one strand of our ongoing work to tackle knife crime.

We use a range of tactics including stop and search and dispersal orders to identify individuals carrying weapons and to prevent crime.

Our intelligence-led policing involves proactive patrols, targeted at the areas we know are at most risk of knife crime.

We also work with our UK Border Force to tackle the importation of illegal weapons at our ports.

We’re part of a multi-agency Violence and Vulnerability Unit, which focuses on reducing violence in our communities through prevention and intervention work, part of which is the importance of educating young people about the dangers of carrying knives and the consequences of doing so.

It brings together Essex Police, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (PFCC), Youth Offending Service, Probation Service, councils and health service to work together to share information, tackle crime and safeguard vulnerable victims.

Are you worried that a friend or someone you know may be being exploited through County Lines or organised criminal activity?

Maybe they are returning home late, staying out all night or even going missing for days or weeks at a time.

Are they suddenly being secretive about who they are talking to or where they are going?

Or perhaps you’ve noticed they have large amounts of money on them, or new clothing, jewellery or phones they wouldn’t be able to afford.

Through Fearless, young people can pass on information 100% anonymously to get help.

If you need help from police, call 101 or, if it's an emergency, always call 999.

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