KNIVES were handed in during a recent three-week amnesty launched by the police as an extension of Operation Blunt.

A total of 92 knives, swords, machetes and bladed knuckle dusters were placed anonymously in bins all over Waltham Forest in the drive which has just ended.

Local police have hailed the venture as a success, saying every knife handed in is one less potential stabbing victim.

Borough Commander Mark Benbow said the amnesty was helping to create confidence in the community.

He told the Guardian: "Waltham Forest aims to provide a visible presence and dedicated resources working in the heart of the community to have a positive impact on driving down crime.

"We are strengthening our Safer Neighbourhoods by working with our partners to create confidence and provide co-operation and support for the community and residents."

Waltham Forest was one of the 12 boroughs in which the operation was first launched in 2004. This recent phase of the operation, which started on October 23, was carried out by the police and Safer Neighbourhoods Teams with the aim of arresting those carrying knives and raising awareness among young people about the dangers of knife crime.

The police have also commissioned a DVD, to be handed out by street wardens at strategically chosen locations, aimed at promoting the message that carrying a knife can be as much a trigger for violence as a deterrent. The DVD, called Knife City, depicts a young man leaving a large estate and getting into a fight with three other youths, in which one is stabbed and falls to the ground.

It has the feel of computer game Vice City and switches between real-life shots of actors and digital images to promote the message that knife crime is not a game.

UK-wide figures released earlier this year show that the number of muggings which involve knives rose by 17,730 to 42,000 from 2005-6 while the number of violent knife-attacks involving strangers rose 18,300 to 51,700 in the same period.

It is estimated that about 50 teenagers are the victims of knife crime each week in the UK.

Alf Hitchcock, the Met Police officer in charge of Operation Blunt, said: "There is a common assumption, particularly among the young, that everyone is walking around with a knife in their back pocket.

"The reality is very few people actually carry knives and so young people should not feel they have to carry one to protect themselves."

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Poetic justice should reign

THIS poem, Say NO to Knives, was written by Sheila M Bell, a contact of one of the local crime prevention officers:

We hear about the daily crime A life is lost yet one more time A fatal stab the news declares The victim taken unawares The consequences must be faced And those who carry knives disgraced Before another life is lost We must stand up and count the cost So with one voice let's all agree That things must change immediately The message is " Protect our lives"

Let's all agree NO to knives