Knife amnesty box - photo

[Jon]

These are even weirder than guy buybacks, and I haven't seen any evidence that these are successful at reducing violent crime. I thought this bit from a study reviewing knife crime was funny.

It is likely, however, that those people who routinely carry a knife for protection or intend to use a knife in crime will not be safely disposing of their knives in the bins provided at police stations. Moreover, unlike guns, once a knife has been disposed of it merely takes a trip to the kitchen drawer to get another. As long as there is unsliced bread, opportunities for 'knife crime' will exist. Removing offensive weapons is to be welcomed, as is raising awareness of the issue, but it does not address the underlying causes of the problem.