Harrogate's knife disposal bin trial prompts county roll-out

This has led to plans for 20 more such bins to be installed across North Yorkshire in January.

The installations are being made possible by a grant of more than £15,000 from the York and North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime, and Commissioning - part of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority - through its North Yorkshire and York Serious Violence Duty Prevention and Early Intervention Fund.

North Yorkshire Police’s Community Support Officers, Heather Lees and Dougie Beveridge, in Northallerton, where one of the new knife bins will be sited (Image: Supplied)

In partnership with City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police, bins will be sited in Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Northallerton, Stokesley, Thirsk, Tadcaster, Selby, Malton, Pickering, Scarborough, Whitby, Eastfield, Colburn, Richmond, Skipton, and York.

Exact locations for the bins are still being discussed, according to a spokesperson.

Knifes and bladed articles can be deposited through the bins' hatches - those depositing are advised to wrap items in thick paper or cardboard, and to secure with tape, as a safety precaution.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, councillor Heather Phillips, said: "We want North Yorkshire to continue to be the safest place in England.

Knifes and bladed articles can be deposited through the hatches of the bins (Image: Supplied)

"But we have to accept that knife crime poses a serious threat to our communities.

"Following our knife bin pilot in Harrogate, people in other parts of the county have asked if they too can have them and while we may not have the number of incidents experienced in some larger cities, we need to do all we can to help prevent such tragic occurrences.

"We have been pleased with the success of the knife bin in Harrogate, with hundreds of bladed articles removed from our streets.

"The roll-out across the county is a proactive measure to ensure such items do not get into the wrong hands."

The York and North Yorkshire deputy mayor for policing, fire, and crime, Jo Coles, said: "This project is a really good example of proactive effort to create safer communities by preventing violent crime and is exactly the kind of thing the mayor and I want to see more of.

"Knife crime is a national problem, and amnesties like this help to get dangerous weapons off the streets without putting police officers in danger."

North Yorkshire Police’s detective chief inspector Jon Sygrove added: "Every blade that is taken out of circulation is one less item that can end up in the wrong hands.

"Schemes such as this, along with strong proactive policing, help to achieve that.

"As a result, North Yorkshire has one of the lowest levels of knife crime in England."

The bins are securely bolted into the ground and padlocked, and only accessible to police.