Gwent Police are joining police forces across the UK by taking part in a week-long national campaign tackling knife crime and serious violence.

Operation Sceptre runs this week from Monday May 16 to Sunday May 22, with the aim of the operation to remove dangerous weapons from the street, reduce knife crime and raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife.

As part of the operation Gwent Police are appealing for people to hand in unwanted knives and other weapons in special knife amnesty bins. The purpose of the bins is to dispose knives safely and anonymously at police stations across the county without fear of persecution.

The locations of Amnesty bins in Gwent include Monmouth, Blackwood, Ebbw Vale and Cwmbran (9am-5pm) as well as Newport Central (8am-8pm).

Gwent Police Inspector Richard Tovey said:

“Knife crime remains low across Gwent, but it has risen nationally.

“As these types of crimes are becoming more high profile the concern from our communities grow, and so we want to reassure the public that we’re committed to keeping our communities safe.

“Alongside this national week of action, we are continuing to address knife crime as part of our daily policing, with officers conducting intelligence lead stop-searches to deter those who believe that carrying a knife is a sensible option.

“Every knife taken off the streets is another life potentially saved.”

Anyone taking part in the amnesty is required to safely store any knife or other weapon when transporting it to an amnesty bin location.

If anyone has any information about individuals involved in knife crime or has any concerns, please call Gwent police on 101 or direct message us via Facebook or Twitter.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.