An assortment of weapons including swords, machetes and cut-throat razors were given up.
The haul was handed over as part of a four-week campaign by Staffordshire Police, alongside Stoke-on-Trent City Council and local authorities across Staffordshire.
The trove of weapons will now be used as part of a ‘Knife Angel’, a 26ft high sculpture against violence and aggression.
The force set up 18 secure knife bins across the county so they could be deposited anonymously, including police stations and two household recycling centres in Stoke-on-Trent.
Along with kitchen and sheath knives people also left ceremonial swords, meat cleavers, machetes, lock knives, knuckle dusters and a barber’s razor.
The Bin the Blade campaign was backed by the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, who supplied the secure knife bins and who will use the surrendered weapons to add to their Angel sculpture.
Ch Supt Martin Evans, head of local policing for Staffordshire Police, said: “I am pleased with the response we’ve had to the amnesty; not just in the number of knives handed in but the support shown by partners. I’m grateful it isn’t just the police saying this, its partner agencies, its experts, its victims, it’s the families of victims that are all passing on this strong message.
“The amnesty is one of the things we’re doing to raise the awareness of the danger of people carrying knives. Carrying a knife doesn’t make you safer, in fact it makes you more vulnerable to being a victim of crime. It’s a very powerful message – carrying knives wrecks lives.
“In the main Staffordshire and the city of Stoke-on-Trent are safe places to live, work and visit. We will continue to work hard to make the streets safer and take strong action against anyone who carries a knife.”
Cllr Randy Conteh, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for housing, communities and safer city, said: “This project has been a fantastic example of partnership working with the police and a variety of other organisations. The results show that we have reached a considerable number of people using several different methods and successfully raised awareness of the dangers of carrying knives.
“Initiatives such as the Street Doctor workshops – highlighting the impact of bladed weapons -have been very encouraging and show the power of educating people to prevent knife crime in the future.
“The results of the knife surrender have been very successful, and there will also be an ongoing impact that the area will hopefully see for years to come.”
Staffordshire County Councillor Gill Heath, Cabinet Member for Communities said: “We have been working together with the police and variety of different organisations over the last few weeks to help people understand the dangers of carrying knives and bladed weapons. The increase in incidents is a worrying trend, so the more we can do to educate people and encourage them to surrender their knives, the more chance we have of preventing knife crime in future. We’re confident it will have had a lasting impact on young people in Staffordshire.”
