More than 300 knives surrendered during amnesty

Police officers visited schools during the week-long operation

More than 300 knives have been handed in to a police force during a week-long amnesty.

Thames Valley Police said 337 knives were placed in amnesty bins during Operation Sceptre, a biannual national initiative that ran from 13 to 19 November.

It said 27 retailers failed test purchase operations by selling knives to undercover youths without verifying their age.

Officers also carried out 1,200 patrols using a phone app that identifies crime hotspots.

Officers checked bushes for discarded weapons

The Hotspots Policing App, introduced by Thames Valley Violence Reduction Unit in 2021, "puts officers in the right place at the right times", the force said.

It said it was the only police force in the country to use the technology in that way.

The force is also trialling new stop and search powers and has extended Operation Deter - a charging initiative - across its area after initially targetting Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, Reading and Slough.

A touring sculpture, made from confiscated knives, was put on display in Milton Keynes in December 2022 and in Slough the following month

During Operation Sceptre, the force said it made 40 arrests and seized 12 knives as a result.

The force's permanent knife amnesty bins collected 168 knives in Buckinghamshire, 107 in Berkshire and 62 in Oxfordshire.

Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber said: "We are having an effect and knife crime continues to fall here in the Thames Valley.

“However, there is still much that we must do together to stop the tragic incidents that ruin lives and spread fear in our communities."