GREATER Manchester Police are encouraging the public to surrender ‘zombie’ knives at local stations ahead of a change in the law.
A month-long surrender has launched this week where ‘zombie’ knives can be handed into police stations and compensation may be claimed from the Home Office.
Tougher laws will come into place from September 24 around the manufacturer, supply, sale, possession and importation of zombie-style knives and machetes.
Ashton-under-Lyne Police Station, on Manchester Road, and Oldham Police Station, on Barn Street, are among 11 stations which are designated points for the surrender, taking place until September 23.
Operation Venture is Greater Manchester Police’s dedicated team for cracking down on violence, particularly focused on knife crime.
Since forming in December 2022, they have made 642 arrests, recovered 181 weapons, seized 113 vehicles and over £250,000 cash, recovered over £80,000 worth of drugs, and conducted 661 ‘positive, proactive stop and searches on key offenders’ up to July 31, 2024.
The team moves across different hotspot areas all over Greater Manchester, looking to prevent, deter, reduce and tackle knife crime as well as feed into the work of the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit – a multi-agency team seeking to prevent violence by addressing the underlying causes.
Superintendent Caroline Hemingway, who leads the force’s knife crime response, said: “We remain committed and determined to ensure the impact of knife crime is tackled head on with robust policing and effective education.
“Prevention is prioritised and we do a lot of work in schools and with health partners. It’s not just about policing our way out of the issue. What this scheme will do is give us the opportunity to take more knives off the streets, but potentially save lives.”
Knife amnesty bins are open all-year round and, while some knives may not meet the criteria for compensation under the Home Office scheme, people are encouraged to surrender any weapon into the bins.
A form and additional detail can be found online here.
Full terms and conditions for the compensation scheme can be found on the Home Office website.
