Amnesty week recovers 170 weapons including machetes

More than 140 of these weapons were handed in at Peterborough.

More than 170 weapons were handed in to Cambridgeshire Police last week as part of a knife amnesty.

Amnesty bins were placed in police stations in Peterborough, Cambridge, and at events in Ely and south Cambridgeshire.

A total of 147 of the weapons, including machetes, knuckledusters, curved swords and a pair of nunchucks, were handed in at Peterborough.

The force also held more than 40 sessions at schools last week, providing advice and information about knife crime.

Most of the weapons were handed in in Peterborough

Officers also conducted 38 "weapon sweeps" in green spaces and other public areas, recovering 10 hidden items.

The force also engaged with retailers - providing information and conducting test purchases to ensure knives were not being sold under-18s.

Insp Karl Secker said: "Speaking to young people about knife crime is an incredibly important part of our work to tackle the issue."

The force's last amnesty in May was "exceptional" - with 272 items handed in, but it said "the 179 weapons handed in this time is still above average for amnesties in recent years".

The county's police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston called it a "great" initiative.

"Every weapon that has been surrendered is potentially a life saved," he said.

"It forms part of our wider plan to tackle knife crime and serious violence, which is an important part of my Police and Crime Plan."

Cambridgeshire Police is continuing to offer advice on knife crime on their website.