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Six One News: Declan McBennett reports on the amnesty which has been brought in to tackle knife crime
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.
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.
