Ireland
PSNI introduces three-week knife amnesty
Wednesday, 24 May 2006 22:26
A knife amnesty has been introduced in Northern Ireland as part of a UK-wide drive to persuade young people not to carry them as weapons.
The three-week initiative comes amid growing concern over rising knife crime, with 1,200 incidents reported last year.
The campaign targets the high-risk group of boys aged 11 to 18 and urges them to dump such weapons in special disposal bins.
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The amnesty will run for three weeks and also applies in England and Wales. A previous amnesty in Scotland was seen as a success with thousands of knives handed in.
In addition to the amnesty, legislation will be extended to cover Northern Ireland, whereby the age for purchasing a knife will be raised from 16 to 18.
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