Spiked flail among guns and knives handed in to police

A home made flail with vicious spikes was among more than 2,000 items handed to Beds police in a recent knife amnesty.

The month long ‘bin the blade’ campaign not only saw Bedfordshire residents dispose of a 2,000 knives – but other chilling items too.

Officers recovered an assortment of guns and a home-made flail with vicious spikes when they emptied the steel bins placed outside of Bedfordshire Police stations to support a national campaign called Operation Sceptre.

Now the various items have been taken away to be destroyed, ensuring they will never fall into the hands of criminals and helping to make the streets a safer place.

The bins were just part of the Operation Sceptre, which also saw police liaising with schools and young people to highlight the consequences of knife crime.

Operation Sceptre lead, Sgt Ben Dimmock said: “Our message to those carrying knives is bin the blade before it’s too late. We will come down hard on those responsible for knife crime and they will face serious punishment. They are putting lives at risk – including their own.”

Bedfordshire Police are continuing the fight against weapons with the newly launched #Guns Off Our Streets campaign which urges people to contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 with any information that could help police.