BIN your blades that is the message from the police on the first day of a week-long knife amnesty. An average of one knife a week has been seized on the streets of Swindon since the start of the year.

There were 104 reports of incidents involving knives in Swindon last year and police are determined to tackle the problem.

Fourteen blades have been seized between January 13 and April 28, including an eight-inch kitchen knife from a boy who took it to school and a 12-inch blade taken from a man during a vehicle check.

Acting Detective Inspector Paul Jennings, of Swindon CID, said there could be no excuse for carrying a knife.

"We are all about trying to educate young people not to carry knives because if you haven't got one, firstly you can't get in trouble for carrying one and secondly you're not going to get involved in any knife-related crime."

The number of incidents involving the weapons has fallen by 35 from 2004 but police are not complacent.

Acting DI Jennings said: "Even though we have done a lot of work to reduce the violent crime, there is still a long way to go.

"We want to encourage people not to carry knives and to hand them in without fear of getting in to trouble.

"The mere fact that someone carries a knife with them and then uses it to commit any form of crime obviously ups the chances of someone getting injured and even resulting in death.

"We have seen occasions where this has occurred in Swindon."

In September 2004 father-of-two Mick Love was stabbed to death in Prospect Place in what police believe was a bungled robbery.

"Arming yourself with a knife for any purpose is going to leave you vulnerable in terms of getting involved in crime," Acting DI Jennings said.

"Any initiative to reduce the number of knives is good for us and good for any potentially violent situations."

The police's knife amnesty runs until June 30.

The campaign targets those aged 14-20 in particular.

Posters will be displayed at police stations and every secondary school in Swindon to raise awareness.

Members of the public can hand their knives in without fear of prosecution.

Special red disposal bins will be placed at the Gablecross police station and the town centre police point in Linden Court. Knives handed in must be wrapped in cardboard or something similar and secured with tape.

Knife crimes

RECENT reports of knife crime in Swindon have seen a 14-year-old take a blade into school and a man stabbed in the legs in a drugs-related punishment stabbing.

Last Friday Darryl Pearce admitted stabbing his sister with a Stanley knife after an argument of over housework.

Pearce, 39, of Beresford Close, Eldene, appeared at Swindon Crown Court and the case was adjourned for sentencing.

Four days earlier heroin addict Jerris Ryan, 22, of Freshbrook, was jailed for more than 16 months after a string of offences, including carrying a knife.

At the end of last month an unemployed man lost his benefit money when he was mugged by two knife-wielding thieves as he walked down Manchester Road. On April 26 a 14-year-old boy was electronically tagged to keep him indoors after he took a knife into school.

The Park North youngster was given a three-month curfew at Swindon Youth Court after pleading guilty to possessing the eight-inch knife. On April 20 a man was threatened with a knife before having his MP3 player stolen in Park North.

On April 15 a 19-year-old was stabbed in his legs in the Cambria Bridge Road area in a suspected drugs related punishment stabbing.

In February the Adver joined police as they uncovered a haul of knives at a house in the Railway Village. Officers said the property had been used as a base for robbers in the town.