Sutcliffe Park and Abbey Wood get knife bins installed

Greenwich Council installed two knife amnesty bins in Sutcliffe Park in Eltham and Abbey Wood to help tackle knife crime in the borough.

It comes after residents within these areas reported “reduced feelings of safety” and is part of the wider Let’s Live #KnifeFree campaign launched by Greenwich Council last year.

The bins have been placed on the main entrance of Sutcliffe Park on Eltham Road and near Abbey Wood Library on Eynsham Drive, with people able to dispose of weapons anonymously.

The bins have been placed on the main entrance of Sutcliffe Park on Eltham Road and near Abbey Wood Library on Eynsham Drive. (Image: Royal Borough of Greenwich)

The amnesty bins will be emptied by partner organisation Words4weapons, with information on their contents shared with Greenwich Council and the local police force, and the knives will then be disposed of by police outside the borough.

In Greenwich 899 knife offences have been reported in the last two years and a spokesperson for Greenwich Council expressed hopes that these bins would increase safety for residents within the borough.

Councillor Rachel Taggart-Ryan, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Enforcement, said: “The knife amnesty bins have been installed in locations where residents have reported reduced feelings of safety as part of our drive to ensure that everyone is safe, and feels safer in parks and open spaces in the borough.

“We have listened to local communities in these areas and have developed this initiative in close collaboration with them. It is also part of our wider campaign to tackle knife crime following the launch of our ‘Let’s Live #KnifeFree’ campaign last year aimed at encouraging people to live their life and drop the knife.”