Nearly 100 bladed items, including swords and machetes, have been handed in to police in a county wide knife amnesty including two swords and machetes.

Twelve items were handed into Wisbech Police Station.

Chief Inspector Marcia Pringle said: “I’m pleased that the public responded positively to the amnesty, enabling us to take more knives off the streets.

“Amnesties are part of our ongoing work to tackle knife crime, so it’s great news that we’ve now recovered more than 400 bladed items in the last year.

“People carrying knives, particularly young people, do so without understanding the real consequences of using them.

“The devastation that is caused to the victims who are seriously injured or fatally wounded, their families, the life outcomes for the person using the knife and the communities in which crime occurs.

“Being in possession of a knife in a public place without good reason is unlawful.

“If you’re found to be carrying a knife in a public place you’re likely to be arrested and convicted with heavy fines and a lifelong criminal record imposed by the court.”

From July 2016 to June 2017 there were 220 possession of weapons offences in Cambridgeshire. Of these, 117 were in Peterborough, 49 in Cambridge and 12 in Wisbech.

The week-long initiative took place from October 23 and resulted in 90 bladed items being recovered. This included two swords and two machetes.

During the week officers also visited retail outlets to discuss the law surrounding the sale of knives and seek their support for the amnesty.

The constabulary has held four knife amnesties in the last year, resulting in 431 knives being recovered.

It is illegal to:

• Sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old.

• Carry a knife in public without good reason - unless it’s a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife

• Carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife.

• Use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife).

• The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

• Anyone who knows someone who carries a knife can also report it anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visiting https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.