Knife Amnesty bins installed to keep weapons off the streets

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has installed two knife amnesty bins in Sutcliffe Park (Eltham) and Abbey Wood to tackle knife crime in the borough. People will be able to use the bins to dispose of dangerous weapons anonymously and safely without fear or prosecution.

The bins are placed in:

• Sutcliffe Park, Meadowside, Eltham SE9. Located to the right of the main entrance on Eltham Road. 
• Abbey Wood, located near the Abbey Wood library, located at the back of the Old Council Office on Eynsham Drive/Finchdale Road, SE2. 

Over the last two years, 899 knife offences have been reported in Greenwich, having a devastating effect on communities of all ages.  

Councillor Rachel Taggart-Ryan, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement, said: “The knife amnesty bins have been installed in locations where residents have reported reduced feelings of safety as part of our drive to ensure that everyone is safe, and feels safer in parks and open spaces in the borough. 

“We have listened to local communities in these areas and have developed this initiative in close collaboration with them. It is also part of our wider campaign to tackle knife crime following the launch of our ‘Let’s Live #KnifeFree’ campaign last year aimed at encouraging people to live their life and drop the knife.” 

The amnesty bins are securely bolted to a concrete base and have a letter box design to allow anyone to deposit a knife but to stop people from being able to reach the contents inside. The amnesty bins will be emptied by our partner organisation Word4Weapons, and the Council and local police will receive a full report of its contents. The knives will then be disposed of by police in a location outside of the borough. 

Construction consultancy Blakeney Leigh have sponsored the amnesty bin in Sutcliffe Park. 

Visit royalgreenwich.gov.uk/knifefree to find out more about our ‘Let’s Live #KnifeFree’ campaign, the risks of carrying a knife and the help and local support available. 

You can help prevent knife crime and report information anonymously by visiting Crimestoppers on crimestoppers-uk.org, fearless.org, or by calling 0800 555 111. If you are ever in danger, or need immediate help, always call 999.