Harrow council is supporting Harrow Police together with Brent and Barnet Police as part of a knife crime campaign, which aims to reduce the number of people – especially young people, carrying knives.
Operation Sceptre will take place locally this Saturday (September 29) around Brent, Barnet and Harrow. The aim of the day is to increase awareness of the dangers of carrying illegal weapons such as knives and make people aware of the consequences.
North West Borough Commander, Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Rose said:
“We are pleased to be supporting this campaign again, which is now more pressing than ever before. With the new tri-borough approach coming into effect, officers will be at hand to reassure and advise members of the public with any queries they may have.
“People can also hand their weapons in anonymously at any police station in all three boroughs, so that we can remove these dangerous weapons from our streets. Our message to those who are carrying knives or thinking about doing so is clear – it does not protect you, in fact, it makes you more vulnerable. So, make the right choice today – lose the knife not a valuable life.”
Metropolitan Special Constabulary officers in uniform and plain clothes from the North-West Borough Command Unit – which includes Harrow, Brent and Barnet will be targeting hot-spots in each borough from 3pm onwards until 11pm. They want to encourage knife owners to give up their weapons safely and without fear of being prosecuted, deal with anti-social behaviour and carry out stop and searches, where appropriate.
The officers will be working jointly together with volunteers in the ambulance service – the Community First Responders, who are in based in Harrow.
Councillor Krishna Suresh, Lead Member for Crime and Community Safety at Harrow Council, (pictured), said:
“Harrow has recently seen a rise in violent crime – the same as the rest of London and of course, this is worrying for the community. I will be supporting the police on the day, we want to reassure residents that we are working hard to keep on top of this issue and Operation Sceptre is a good way to get that message across.”
Officers will also be carrying out proactive activities and patrols of selected hotspots.
Anyone with information on knife crime should call 101 or report online. In an emergency always dial 999.
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