An operation was held at West Herts College in Watford as part of the Constabulary’s continuing work to educate young people and tackle violent crime in the county.
Uniformed and plain clothed officers were deployed across the college on Wednesday, October 3rd to conduct searches and talk to students about the dangers of carrying weapons.
Knife arches were set up at the entrance to the campus, which were passed through by around 3,500 students during the operation. Several people were also stopped and searched within the college grounds.
PC Kev Ball, who organised the operation, said: “Encouragingly, no knives were located and no offences were disclosed to officers during the operation.
“I would like to thank the college and the students for their support and ultimately helping us to prevent incidents involving knives. We want to send a clear message that carrying a knife is illegal and extremely dangerous; you are not only putting yourself at risk but could also face a prison sentence if caught.”
Emma Doree, Director of Student Experience said: “The college works closely with local police and has invited Hertfordshire Constabulary on to campus to carry out exercises similar to this for a number of years. It is a valuable way of further educating our young people and is worthwhile experience for all involved.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary recently took part in a knife amnesty, which resulted in 200 knives and other potential weapons being surrendered across the county. The amnesty was part of a national campaign, Operation Sceptre, being run by police forces across the country to reduce the number of illegal knives in circulation.
Over the next three years the Constabulary will also be implementing a Serious Violence Strategy, which is a longer term plan for dealing with knife crime in the county.
If you have information about someone who may be carrying a knife you can report it online at www.herts.police.uk/Report or call the non-emergency number 101.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will never need to go to court.
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