Shropshire knife banks going to Manchester
Permanent knife banks built in Shropshire are to be put on the streets of Manchester.
The project, run by Greater Manchester Police and the British Ironwork Centre, is part of the centre's Save a Life, Surrender your Knife campaign which saw the creation of the nationally-renowned Knife Angel sculpture.
This week Rodger Edwards and Paul Nolan from the Greater Manchester Police visited the centre near Oswestry to collect the knife banks.
Centre chairman, Clive Knowles, said that when the Knife Angel was first being created, amnesties held by the Greater Manchester Police collected more than 7,000 knives which all formed a crucial part of the Knife Angel’s structure.
"Inspired by this and the Angel’s Anti-Violence Tour across the UK, the Greater Manchester Police has now created a new campaign of its own – the Forever Amnesty," he said.
A number of fully secure knife banks will be permanently stationed across Manchester.
"The banks will provide a safe and judgment-free place for carriers to deposit their knives, all in an effort to help clear the city’s streets of knife crime and violence," added Mr Knowles.
"Anyone visiting Manchester will be able to see them distributed all across the city, adorned with ‘Save A Life, Surrender Your Knife’ livery.
"We are planning to use all collected blades to create a sculpture for Manchester, which will represent the ‘Save A Life, Surrender Your Knife’ campaign’s legacy, highlight the city’s efforts to turn the tide on knife crime, and raise better awareness over the negative effects that violent behaviour has on the community.
"Currently, Manchester doesn't have a date secured to host the Knife Angel, but we are hopeful that the distribution of these knife banks will prompt the city to step forward to help continue the Angel’s legacy – especially since they played such a pivotal role in the monument’s creation."