SWINDON’S top policeman called on communities to help his officers stamp out knife crime.

Speaking as forces across the country marked the national Op Sceptre anti-knife campaign, Supt Phil Staynings said they could not “police their way out of the problem”.

He said Wiltshire Police had put a renewed focus on early intervention schemes aimed at diverting youngsters away from carrying knives, with officers working directly with teachers through a new police and schools panel and programmes supporting families of children known to be at risk of falling into crime.

But Supt Staynings also confirmed that the force’s knife carrier’s index – a log of those suspected or confirmed to routinely carry knives – had 25 names on it. 

He told the Adver: “We can’t police our way out of this. This has to be policed by communities and one of the key messages with Op Sceptre is that knife crime is deemed anti-social by communities, carrying knives is driven down by communities saying this is not acceptable. 

“Whilst the police enforce the law, actually the police must work closely with communities, the families and friends to put an end to this particular culture. But the culture is resolved by communities, not by the service.” 

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Sgt Dave Tippetts with a sword handed in during a previous amnesty Picture: DAVE COX

Knife crime has risen over the past decade, if Home Office policing statistics are to be believed.

In 2012/13, Wiltshire Police recorded 102 knife offences, including four murders, 22 robberies and 69 assaults. 

In 2019/20, the last year for which a full year was available, that had risen to 288 offences. The majority were assaults – 164 – and robberies, of which there were 94. 

Figures obtained by the Adver earlier this year showed that a 12-year-old boy was the youngest in Wiltshire caught with a knife in 2020. 

“Wiltshire and Swindon are safe places to live and this is a small number of people causing disproportionate harm,” Supt Staynings said. 

READ MORE: Police patrol Parks and Walcot after reports of rising disorder

READ MORE: Knife crime in Wiltshire Police sights as Op Sceptre launched

“What we are doing now is rather than just doing this blanket approach, in certain areas we are focusing in on high harm but also through information and intelligence the right people, the right children, the right families and doing that in consultation and in partnership.” 

One of those areas is the Parks, Walcot and Eldene, where Wiltshire Police has set up dedicated patrols in the wake of a number of stabbings. They included a gang attack on a man in his 30s in Verwood Close, Park North, that saw him stabbed in the leg. The following month, a 19-year-old was chased down in Wolsely Avenue, Park South, and stabbed multiple times. 

Since the “pulse patrols”, as they are known, the violence appears to have calmed down. 

For the police, however, the prospect of a summer free of lockdown restrictions is not far away. 

“Am I concerned about a long, hot summer?” Supt Staynings asked in response to a question from the Adver. 

“Yes, I am. But we’ve had dedicated patrols, we’ve had a series of coordinated activity for weeks and months and we haven’t seen a significant instance in the borough of Swindon linked to knife crime for a good period of time. That’s really encouraging. 

“I would say that, actually, the engagement our community policing teams have had with residents has been fantastic. Of course, I worry about young people coming to harm – but communities have to worry and they have to take responsibility too.” 

  • Officers will be hosting a live Q&A about Op Scetre and knife crime on the Swindon Police Facebook page tonight from 6pm.