Harrogate knife bin pilot sees 500 blades taken off streets

Since January, more than 500 knives and blades have been deposited in the bin in Harrogate

Knife bins are to be installed across York and North Yorkshire as part of efforts to tackle violent crime.

More than 500 knives and blades have so far been taken off the streets thanks to a trial bin set up in Harrogate earlier this year.

North Yorkshire Council has now secured funding of more than £15,000 to extend the scheme into other areas.

Councillor David Chance said if the bins prevented "just one death, the investment will have been worthwhile".

While North Yorkshire has the lowest rate of knife crime offences of any police force area in England and Wales, according to official figures, it still sees hundreds of serious offences involving knives each year.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe, whose office is funding the scheme, said there was no room for complacency and knife drop bins had proven their worth wherever they were located.

'Proven to reduce risk'

She said: "I am delighted that my office has been able to provide funding to this project.

"We can never truly reverse the impact of a violent crime after it has occurred, and so it is crucial that we are able to support preventative measures like this which are proven to reduce the risk of these crimes happening in the first place."

The pilot scheme for the knife surrender project was set up by the former Harrogate Borough Council and saw a bin placed at the Dragon Road car park in the town.

Since January, more than 500 knives and blades have been deposited.

Following local government reorganisation, North Yorkshire Council committed to expanding the project, with locations for the new bins currently being decided.

Police in North Yorkshire recorded 289 serious offences involving a knife in the year ending March 2023, a rate of 35 per 100,000 people, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

This compares to 87 offences per 100,000 people across England and Wales as a whole.