DORSET Police have been taking part in a national campaign that focuses on the dangers of knife crime.

Sceptre, run by the National Police Chiefs’ Council between November 11 to November 17, aimed to spread awareness and inform others on the consequences of carrying knives.

Dorset police and crime commissioner, David Sidwick, and detective chief inspector, Andy Bell, said people need to be more aware about the dangers of carrying knives.  

It's believed there’s a growing feeling amongst younger generations that carrying a knife is providing you with protection.

However, this could not be further from the truth and Dorset Police are working hard to reinforce this with the Sceptre campaign.

Even though it may appear that knife crime is on the rise, Mr Sidwick said very few people actually carry knives and BCP is not a high knife crime area.

He said: “We have to make the point that from numbers, Dorset is one of the safest places for the number of knife offences.

“The fact that if you carry a knife, you’re not going to protect yourself, you’re more likely to get hurt.”

The campaign involved community engagement activities, including educational knife crime awareness assemblies in schools and the addition of knife arches in various public places.

Mr Sidwick said how knife arches were brought into practice after the death of Cameron Hamilton.

These arches that scan for knives are just one way police are working to reduce knife crime, they also have knife wands available in every patrol car in order to identify those carrying.

Mr Bell said one of the issues with knife crime is the accessibility.

He said: “The accessibility of knives in the home is a big issue for us.”

Dorset Police are investigating the process of buying knives in shops as well as online orders, making sure that correct procedures are being followed.

Mr Bell said: “There’s a really big piece of work that we can do with youths that we know and have got intelligence about, that are carrying knives."

Dorset Police provided knife surrender bins at BCP police stations during the week-long campaign, for people to surrender their knives without questions or repercussions.

The force said its dedication to decreasing knife crimes is a top priority all year round.

Mr Sidwick said they will continue to engage in these campaigns for “as long as it takes to keep our people safe”.