Police and council join forces to tackle knife crime in Central Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire Police were joined by Central Bedfordshire Council’s community safety and partnerships team in Operation Sceptre.

They carried out weapons sweeps across the area, including Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy and Shefford, visited schools to talk about knife crime and exploitation and businesses in Sandy that sell knives to make sure they were aware of the rules around selling and storing blades.

Cllr Rebecca Hares, executive member for health and community liaison, said: "Thankfully our teams found no weapons when they were carrying out their weapons sweeps, but I hope their presence in the areas they visited was reassuring for residents and shows how seriously we take knife crime.

She added: “Education on topics like the dangers of knife crime and the signs of exploitation is crucial for empowering young people and keeping them safe.”