A serrated combat-style weapon was just one of the knives handed in as part of Hampshire police knife amnesty.

A total of 18 knives were handed in, including a serrated combat-style knife, a historic dagger and a lock knife.

The amnesty bins were placed in Farnborough and Aldershot as part of our ongoing work to tackle knife-crime in the area.

 

This total is three more than the number of knives handed in as part of the amnesty in August.

They were placed into amnesty bins at Aldershot Police Station and Rushmoor Borough Council’s offices, in Farnborough.

The amnesty was launched just a week after four men were sentenced to a total of 92 years in prison for the murder of Richard Hardy, below, who was stabbed to death in Farnborough earlier this year.

 

Sgt Mark Woodhead, pictured below, said: “We are really pleased with how many knives have been handed in as part of this amnesty.

“All too often we are called to incidents where people have been seriously injured or killed because someone was carrying a knife.

 

“As we have seen with the murder of Richard Hardy, the reality is devastating for all those involved.

“Those responsible have been jailed but we don’t want another family to have go through what Mrs Hardy and her family have been forced to endure.

“Just one knife off our streets can save a life and last week we saw 18 handed in, so we would like to thank everyone who took this opportunity to make a difference.

“This is just one way we are tackling knife-crime in the area and we will continue to do what we can, working with our partners, to make our communities safer for all.”

Following this amnesty officers will also be going into local schools and speaking to pupils about the dangers of carrying knives, as part of our on-going work tackling knife-crime.

These visits have been supported by Richard Hardy’s mum, Julie, who hopes her story will help to deter others from carrying knives and to realise what harm it can lead to.

Four men, below, were jailed over the death of Richard. They were Hashim Siddique, 19, Qasan Siddique, 22, Omar Goodridge, 20, all convicted of murder while Leroy Bosha, 26, was jailed for manslaughter.

 

Speaking of the devastation caused following the murder of her son, Julie said: “The scenario of what happened to him has left a horrible image in my head I cannot get rid of.

“No one should ever have to outlive their children, or have them taken from you in such a cruel way.

“He did not deserve to be stabbed to death and is missed every single day.”

Councillor Ken Muschamp, Rushmoor Borough Council’s deputy leader, added: “Carrying a knife makes you more likely to get hurt, not less, so we are delighted that 18 potentially deadly weapons have been handed in and are no longer causing a threat on our streets.

“It is encouraging that people surrendered their knives during this amnesty, and I want to thank them for making the right choice and supporting this campaign.”