Sceptre: A week of intensified enforcement, prevention and engagement to tackle knife crime

Today (13 May 2024) marks the launch of Sceptre, the national knife crime awareness campaign and week of action for police forces across the UK.
During Sceptre, officers from Merseyside Police will continue their work to tackle knife crime and use it as an opportunity to educate the public on the dangers of carrying a weapon.

Uniformed officers will be deployed across Merseyside to deter offenders and provide reassurance to the local community, with a particular focus in hotspot areas where crime is most likely to occur. More than 3,000 hours of targeted uniformed foot patrols in hotspot areas have helped drive down serious violence in the last year.

Officers will also be proactively monitoring individuals with live Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) and undertaking stop searches when they are in a public place.

As a result of proactive policing and education, supported and delivered by partner organisations, Merseyside has seen significant reductions in both serious violence and knife crime, with 263 fewer victims of serious violence in the last year alone.

Knife crime has also fallen by 18.6% for the year ending September 2023 compared with the previous 12 months (Office of National Statistics).

To mark the week, a major conference is taking place today where the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, and Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, will join more than 120 partners to look at the role healthcare professionals can play in helping to prevent serious violence.

 The charity Knifesavers will be holding a training event focused on educating people on how to deal with a knife injury and stem blood loss, using special bleeding control kits.
Many of the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP)’s initiatives will be running throughout the week, focused on preventing knife crime and educating young people.

This includes a StreetDoctors session at Wirral Youth Justice Services focused on teaching young people how to save lives using a new first aid e-learning app which explains how to stop a potentially life-threatening bleed.

The MVRP’s Mentors in Violence Prevention training which empowers young people to help prevent violence, bullying and other forms of abuse will be running in the Belvedere Academy by Princes Park in Liverpool on Wednesday and Pensby High School in Wirral on Friday.

On Thursday, the charity Knifesavers will be holding a training event at Aintree University Hospital focused on educating local community members on how to deal with a knife injury and stem blood loss, using special bleeding control kits.

Knife Surrender