Police knife crime crackdown backed by family of victim

PC Massingham and PC Fiddaman are among the officers who have working on the Operation Sceptre crackdown in Norwich

Police have been making high-profile patrols and visiting schools in a knife crime crackdown - a move backed by the parents of a young murder victim.

Officers in Norfolk have joined Operation Sceptre, a nationwide police campaign to tackle knife crime.

It is illegal for under-18s to be sold knives, but the force said they were also focusing efforts on online sales.

Emma Dix, whose son Joe was killed in Norwich in 2022, said she was "fully supportive" of the campaign.

The family of Joe Dix, pictured right, have set up a foundation dedicated to his memory

Insp Ian Cox has been co-ordinating Norfolk Constabulary's campaign and said the week of action, held at intervals throughout the year, shone a spotlight on the continuous work to reduce offending.

Officers have been patrolling Norwich city centre, spoken to retailers and educated young people about the dangers of carrying a bladed weapon.

They have also visited schools to speak about the risks posed by carrying knives.

"We are reminding retailers, whether a chain or independent store, of their responsibility around the safe sale of knives," said Insp Cox.

"By carrying a knife, you put yourself in much greater danger and are more likely to become involved in a violent situation and get injured yourself."

Officers in Norwich have been using metal detectors to scour for weapons as part of the nationwide Operation Sceptre campaign

Emma and Phil Dix's son Joe was fatally stabbed in January 2022, when a burglary led to a knife-chase through part of the Mile Cross estate in Norwich.

The pair set up the Joe Dix Foundation to educate young people and provide support for parents concerned their children were involved with gangs, drugs and knives.

Mrs Dix, 47, from Salhouse, said: "I would say that the general population of Norfolk need to open their eyes up and realise what's going on.

"They don't seem to want to acknowledge that there's a problem of county lines drugs gangs and youth violence happening all around them."

SOS St Giles Trust charity founder Junior Smart says the causes of knife crime are complex

Junior Smart, founder of the London-based St Giles Trust SOS Project that also works across the East of England to prevent young people getting involved in crime, said agencies had to band together.

"Any solution to tackling knife crime needs to combine support and opportunities for the young people involved and tackle some of the underlying issues driving the tragic loss of life," he said.

"These include - to name a few - cuts to state services that many young people and their families relied on, growing levels of social exclusions, exclusions from mainstream education and the role of social media.

"No single agency or government department can tackle a problem as complex as knife crime and this is why multi-agency collaboration is key."