Changes to police weapons amnesty for lockdown period

The amnesty has seen more than 100 knives and other weapons handed in since it started around a month ago.

Lincolnshire Police say the secure bins will remain in place at police stations around the county including Boston, but have asked people to avoid making journeys to specifically hand a weapon in.

A spokesperson for the force said: “Please only use them if you have found a weapon in a public place while you are out of the house for an essential purpose, or you have made an essential journey to somewhere very near one of these police stations and have a weapon you’d like to discard.

“Alternatively if you have come across a weapon that does need handing in please call us on 101.

“If the item could be used as a weapon, for example an old kitchen knife, please store the item safely and the bins will still be in place after lockdown for people to use.”

Anyone wanting to hand in a firearm should not use the bins anyway, and should instead contact the police on 101.

Among the weapons handed in so far are kitchen knives, bowie knives, machetes and cleavers.

The amnesty is part of Operation Raptor which was launched at the end of 2019 to help reduce offences involving weapons on the west of the county.

Secure bins have been set up at the force’s police stations in Lincoln, Grantham, Boston, Skegness and Spalding and they will remain in place until at least the18th December.

Detective Inspector Harrop said: “Lincolnshire is an incredibly safe place but we still take every opportunity to reduce the number of weapons in the county.

“We hope that this amnesty will take even more out of circulation that could have otherwise been used in violence or to intimidate.”