Meat cleavers and ornamental daggers were among the weapons anonymously handed in to police during a Suffolk-wide knife amnesty, pictures show.

East Anglian Daily Times: Stowmarket police found an ornamental dagger among the sharp objects in their knife amnesty bin, emptied in a week of action named Operation Sceptre, a national knife crime prevention campaign Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARYStowmarket police found an ornamental dagger among the sharp objects in their knife amnesty bin, emptied in a week of action named Operation Sceptre, a national knife crime prevention campaign Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY (Image: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY)

Suffolk Constabulary took park in the nationwide campaign against knife crime, Operation Sceptre, in a bid to curb the rise of stabbings in the county.

Knife amnesty bins were placed in six Suffolk towns - and the preliminary results of the campaign suggest that hundreds of blades are now off of the county’s streets.

Both Lowestoft police and Mildenhall police discovered more than 100 knives deposited in their amnesty bins in just seven days.

There were also bins in Haverhill, Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds and three in Ipswich.

East Anglian Daily Times: Lowestoft police's knife amnesty of Operation Sceptre resulted in meat cleavers, kitchen knives and switchblades being taken off the streets of Suffolk Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARYLowestoft police's knife amnesty of Operation Sceptre resulted in meat cleavers, kitchen knives and switchblades being taken off the streets of Suffolk Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY (Image: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY)

Superintendent Kerry Cutler, who is leading the campaign at Suffolk Constabulary, said: “Young people face all sorts of pressures and therefore family, friends and role models are an important influence in their lives.?

“Having a conversation with them about the dangers of carrying a knife may be difficult but talking and listening is critical to finding a solution to the growing problem we have seen nationally around knife crime.

“Simply listening and giving time to a young person can encourage them to think about their decisions and behaviour.?”

Knife crime has had tragic consequences across Suffolk in the past nine months.

East Anglian Daily Times: Haverhill police were handed this pocket knife in their amnesty as part of Operation Sceptre Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARYHaverhill police were handed this pocket knife in their amnesty as part of Operation Sceptre Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY (Image: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY)

There were three stabbings in Ipswich in June 2018, including the murder of Tavis Spencer-Aitkens.

Another man was also stabbed in Haverhill later in the month.

Lowestoft man Scott Tarrant died of stab wounds in July and three more stabbings occurred in December, including the death of Daniel Saunders in Turin Street, Ipswich.

And on March 12, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed in Marlow Road and had to call 999 for his own ambulance.

East Anglian Daily Times: Kitchen knives were handed in across Suffolk, with Haverhill officers photographing the 27 they were given - including a meat cleaver Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARYKitchen knives were handed in across Suffolk, with Haverhill officers photographing the 27 they were given - including a meat cleaver Picture: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY (Image: SUFFOLK CONSTABULARY)

Tim Passmore, police and crime commissioner for Suffolk, said: “Knife crime is a growing problem here in Suffolk and it’s got to stop.

“Carrying a knife just doesn’t make you safe and sadly, as we all know, it can lead to dreadful consequences.”

The number of knives across Suffolk, including those handed in in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds, are due to be released by police before March 22.