People urged to hand in knives as part of a campaign to reduce knife crime across North Yorkshire

Despite North Yorkshire having significantly lower levels of knife crime than the national average, officers have made dozens of arrests specifically for knife offences under this operation in the past.

This week, officers are carrying out even more deployments to areas of the county where knife crime has been detected, including additional patrols and searches of suspects.

They will also be delivering educational work, such as school visits and interventions with young people, to encourage them to consider the consequences of carrying a knife.

Officers will be conducting special operations to target people who possess weapons and those involved in organised crime.

In addition, they will be working with other police forces to build increasing levels of intelligence about people entering North Yorkshire from other areas with weapons.

North Yorkshire Police will be promoting the 20 secure, permanent knife bins now available in accessible locations across North Yorkshire, which have collected thousands of knives over the past year.

They have also set up temporary knife amnesty bins at police stations in York, Scarborough, Malton, Northallerton, Harrogate and Skipton until Sunday, allowing people to surrender blades with no questions asked.

Inspector Ciaran Conlon said: "Some knives are legal to possess but illegal to carry in public without a lawful purpose.

"Others are classed as offensive weapons which are illegal to possess, even if kept at home.

"But both can be surrendered at the knife bins or your local police station – you won’t get into trouble for transporting them there and you will not face prosecution.

"We’re working round the clock to prevent knife crime and knife carrying.

"Help us get as many blades as possible out of circulation by dropping them off at your local knife bin or police station this week."