Officers reach thousands of children with key knife crime message

More than a dozen knives were seized and seven people were arrested during a week-long focus on knife crime in Essex.

Although our work on this issue is 24/7, intensification weeks like Sceptre give us a chance to concentrate our efforts and strengthen our partnerships.

Sceptre week, supported by forces across the country, was carried out last month.

We placed a particular focus on education, engaging around 4,000 young people across 50 schools and colleges.

The Violence and Vulnerability Unit, made up of numerous agencies including Essex Police, carried out 21 visits with young people suspected to have been involved in knife or drug-related crime.

This programme, ReRoute, sees skilled practitioners build trust and a relationship with these young people following referrals from our officers.

Only by tackling the attitudes, perceptions and root causes behind knife crime can we make progress.

Thanks to this work, Essex Police is bucking the national trend.

Against a well-publicised gradual rise in knife-enabled crime in the UK – we’ve seen a 10% decrease in the number of incidents year-on-year in Essex.

That’s 152 fewer incidents when compared with the 12 months to June 2024.

It’s also a sustained and continued decrease, with 256 fewer incidents of knife-enabled crime when compared with pre-Covid levels (the 12 months to December 2019) – a decrease of 15%.

Throughout Essex during Sceptre week, we also:

•  Carried out 35 ‘stop and searches’ of people suspected to be carrying a knife.
• Conducted 35 weapons sweeps in areas linked to incidents of violence.
• Seized 13 knives.
• Executed four search warrants in relation to ongoing investigations.
• Emptied around 5,000 knives from our knife bins outside police stations for destruction.
• Conducted 42 test purchases at shops selling knives, utilising our volunteer cadets to do so.
• Visited 98 shops and businesses to encourage sign up to our responsible retailers agreement.
• Delivered knife crime awareness sessions through our Joint Education Team to more than 830 young people.

'Early intervention is key'

Temporary Superintendent Ian Hughes said:

“From what you read, hear and view on social media, it’s easy and understandable to think knife crime is rife in Essex.
“But while serious incidents are rightly widely publicised, and our work to seize weapons and arrest suspects heavily promoted, there’s a simple fact that’s crucial to remember.
“It’s very unlikely you’ll fall victim to knife crime in Essex.
“Where we do see knife crime, it’s usually linked to wider offending like drug crime or to a small cohort of repeat offenders we’re likely already well aware of.
“It’s also an issue that sadly primarily impacts on people in that 17 to 25 age range.
“This is why we’re focusing on early intervention in schools and colleges, and on changing the attitudes and circumstances of repeat offenders.
“The message we’re constantly repeating in schools is that carrying a knife does nothing to protect you, it only places you at further risk.
“We’re working as closely as we can with partners in education, the criminal justice system and the government to reinforce this message and steer young people away from a negative path.
“As a police force we have to show that we’re committed to a goal of diminishing the number of incidents to near zero.
“That might seem ambitious, I will always treat one knife-related incident as one too many.”

For advice on how to stay safe and protect your home, yourself, your business and your vehicles from crime, please visit our crime prevention pages.

You can also find out more general information about crime, the law and staying safe on our advice and information pages.

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.