Police in Bicester carried out a knife inspection in a park as part of a campaign to tackle knife crime.

The Bicester and Cherwell branches of Thames Valley Police underwent a ‘park tidy’ activity in Bicester’s Garth Park yesterday (Wednesday, November 15) looking for knives and other weapons.

A spokesperson for the Bicester team said: “We’re pleased to report that none were found, meaning the park can continue to be enjoyed safely.”

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The activity forms part of a wider, week-long national campaign called Operation Sceptre, which aims to educate and raise awareness around knife crime and violence.

A spokesperson for Thames Valley police said: “Here in the Thames Valley, the approach is to increase education and early intervention to stop young people getting involved in crime in the first place.

“Alongside this, strong proactive policing tackles those who carry knives.

“All recorded knife crime is down four per cent across the whole Thames Valley over the past 12 months.

“It remains low, with 1186 offences recorded between October 1, 2022, and October 31 this year. A reduction of 55 offences when compared to the same period the year before.”

The Thames Valley is one of 20 areas with a Home Office-funded violence reduction unit, a partnership of all local councils, police, fire, education, health and community groups.

With the aim of working together to prevent violence in the first place.

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1