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Knife amnesty nets 17,700 weapons (UK)
bbc ^ | 16 June 2006, 12:15 GMT 13:15 UK

Posted on 06/16/2006 10:42:05 AM PDT by dennisw

Knife amnesty nets 17,700 weapons Over 17,700 weapons were handed in during the first week of the national knives amnesty, the Home Office said. Machetes, meat cleavers and axes as well as knives were among the haul of 17,715 surrendered to the 43 police forces across England and Wales.

Home office minister Vernon Coaker said the results were "encouraging".

The five-week amnesty, running until 30 June, allows people to surrender knives at police stations without fear of punishment.

Mr Coaker urged those who had not yet handed in their weapons to do so.

"The initial figures for the first week of that campaign are very encouraging, " he said.

"That is 17,715 fewer weapons that can be used in a crime against ordinary, law-abiding citizens.

"If you carry a knife out of self-defence, you run the risk of having it turned on you. Carrying a knife is illegal and will not be tolerated. It could land you four years in prison"

'Significant step'

As well as knives, Devon and Cornwall police also received an 8lb anti-tank rocket launcher, known as a "tankbuster", which has a range of up to 350 metres.

A force spokesman said: "The amnesty is for all weapons and if someone wants to get rid of a rocket launcher, that's fine by us."

Devon and Cornwall's assistant chief constable, Tony Melville, who is also a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the haul was "a significant step towards making our streets safer".

The initiative, running in England, Wales and Scotland comes amid growing concern at the level of knife crime in the wake of a series of fatal stabbings.

Police say that from 1 July tough action will be taken on those found armed with knives.

However, some families of victims of knife crime have questioned the effectiveness of an amnesty, calling instead for tougher sentencing.

Last month 15-year-old Kiyan Prince died from a stab wound after being attacked outside his school in Edgware, north London.

And last week Alex Mulumba Kamondo, also 15, died after being knifed through the heart during a street fight in Lambeth, south London.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: akti; bang; banglist; blade; blades; knife; knives; rkba
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To: alarm rider
Any idiot with a bench grinder and an old file and a bucket of water can make a great knife. By tomorrow any rock that can be lifted by a person will be listed as a weapon and outlawed.
Very soon the rule of thumb will be initiated. Any stick larger in diameter than your thumb will be outlawed. All trees and shrubs will be stripped of all potential weapons and anyone found to be cultivating these weapons will be prosecuted. If you think differently watch out. If you become angry with anyone, for any reason, you will be held accountable for your "hate crime." People over 6' tall will not be allowed to propagate and produce young. The larger individuals in our society use up a disproportionate large amount of our natural resources and need to be controlled and eventually eliminated from the gene pool. We also have too large of a percentage of females withing our species. Each female should be assigned 4-6 males to service and care for and total offspring of the group should be limited to 3, biologically engineered so that only one in 5 are female. A reduction in population is long overdue. All of these policies will be implemented in the very near future to protect us from ourselves and mother earth from further damage. Only by these measures will the socialist, tree hugging, liberal zealots ever be satisfied.
41 posted on 06/16/2006 11:31:53 AM PDT by oldenuff2no
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo

The English boil their salads, don't they?


42 posted on 06/16/2006 11:31:56 AM PDT by razorback-bert (Kooks For Kinky)
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To: dennisw

This whole thing has been hilarious, absolutely hilarious for us in the UK.

The number of solemn newspaper articles showing policemen posing with enormous multibladed weapons that look like Sci-Fi props with the worried text "This weapon is clearly designed for decapitation, Police warn".

The poor saps are holding Klingon weapons - Bat'leth and Klingon ceremonial daggers. Star Trek Props.


43 posted on 06/16/2006 11:36:20 AM PDT by agere_contra
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To: DBrow

I'm pretty sure that's nearly duplicate of Michigan law.

However, it's made out to be a ban on "knives" and the Brit police have been intentionally quiet about what knives are legal, giving the impression that all knives are illegal.


44 posted on 06/16/2006 11:37:22 AM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: agere_contra

Is there any sort of incentive for turning these "weapons" in?


45 posted on 06/16/2006 11:39:49 AM PDT by retrokitten (www.retrosrants.blogspot.com)
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To: retrokitten

Not that I know of. They didn't give me squat for my anti-tank weapon.


46 posted on 06/16/2006 11:40:32 AM PDT by agere_contra
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To: SJSAMPLE

Well, the only "legal" pointy thing is the folder less than 3.5 inches- that pretty much leaves everything else I carry in the "illegal" category.

The UK law does not ban knives- it bans anything with a blade or point!

The branch lopper I use to cut the dead palm fronds down with would probably give them fits! It extends to over 12 feet and has a 12 inch saw blade as well as the branch lopper at the end!


47 posted on 06/16/2006 11:44:11 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: dennisw

Knife amnesty nets 17,700 "weapons"

Weapons ?????

Webster: 'Weapon' --- "something (as a club, knife, or gun) used to injure, defeat, or destroy"

Are all knives, weapons? Aren't knives also used in the UK to cut the butter?


48 posted on 06/16/2006 11:44:33 AM PDT by TRY ONE (NUKE the unborn gay whales!)
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To: dennisw

I have a visible graphite deposit just under the skin in my anterior groin fold in the right femoral triangle caused by suddenly sitting in my classroom desk-chair upon the bell in eighth grade; I had forgotten to remove the sharpened #2 pencil from my pants pocket after walking in the classroom.


49 posted on 06/16/2006 11:44:51 AM PDT by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: DBrow

And now some British doctors want a ban on pointy kitchen knives because ten "respected" chefs they interviewed said that pointy knives are worthless in the kitchen.

At least we didn't have to wait a generation to see the slippery slope...


50 posted on 06/16/2006 11:49:50 AM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: oldenuff2no

Have you tried the new Soylent? They say it's soy and lentil. It's an improvement over the HA rations.




(Harry Harrison's Make Room! Make Room!)


51 posted on 06/16/2006 11:50:12 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: SJSAMPLE

Well yano I was at a banquet just last night, and the temporary guest worker who was carving the roast used a long knife without a point, so who needs one? /s


52 posted on 06/16/2006 11:52:17 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: DBrow

Brit butlers ordered to turn in candlesticks


53 posted on 06/16/2006 11:55:39 AM PDT by battlegearboat
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In pictures: Knife amnesty

Gloucestershire police described this knife as "terrifying".

Some of the weapons to be destroyed by the Metropolitan Police.

A collection of 500 ornamental letter openers were handed to Lothian and Borders police.

One of the hundreds of weapons handed in to Kent police.

54 posted on 06/16/2006 11:55:41 AM PDT by primeval patriot (Now with 10% more extremism!)
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To: battlegearboat

Rastas required to turn in "blunt" objects...


55 posted on 06/16/2006 11:57:41 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: DBrow

My roast knife has two points at the tip for serving up the meat ;)

And I use my wife's good Trident knives to open packaging with the point ;)


56 posted on 06/16/2006 11:59:48 AM PDT by SJSAMPLE
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To: agere_contra
Not that I know of. They didn't give me squat for my anti-tank weapon.

ROTFLMAO!!

57 posted on 06/16/2006 12:07:56 PM PDT by retrokitten (www.retrosrants.blogspot.com)
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To: Blue Jays
Hi All-

Here are more photographs from the Knife Amnesty program occuring in the United Kingdom as we speak:

You'll notice primarily a nice collection of Swiss Army Knives (SAK), a Leatherman-style multi-tool, and even a set of folding hex wrenches for cryin' out loud. These legislators have really gone around the bend! Some of these liberals are so open-minded that their brains have fallen out of their heads.

~ Blue Jays ~

58 posted on 06/16/2006 12:13:44 PM PDT by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
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To: dennisw

WHAT! No money or free fish and chips? I guess I'll keep that crummy knife set I got for Christmas. YES I SAID CHRISTMAS!


59 posted on 06/16/2006 12:14:03 PM PDT by wolfcreek
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To: Argus

Good point. The obvious solution to the problem you identify is to enact steak-control legislation, eliminating the need for knives. A slight tax increase will also help the Government hoard all the steak so the citizens won't be tempted to eat newly illegal steak.


60 posted on 06/16/2006 12:15:56 PM PDT by DPMD (dpmd)
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