Knives found in The Mall Luton as police clamp down on knife crime

One man was arrested and three knives were recovered on the first day of Bedfordshire Police's week-long knife crime operation.
Knives recovered on the first day of Operation SceptreKnives recovered on the first day of Operation Sceptre
Knives recovered on the first day of Operation Sceptre

Operation Sceptre, which launched on Monday, aims to clamp down on knife crime and encourage people to think before carrying a knife.

Officers spent the day in The Mall in Luton and The Harpur Centre in Bedford speaking to the community about knife crime.

While they were in the Luton shopping centre, officers responded to reports that a man had been seen with a knife following an altercation in the town centre. After searching the area, one man was stopped, searched and arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article and possession of a controlled drug. A smaller knife found discarded on a seat inside The Mall and was also seized by officers.

Knives recovered on the first day of Operation SceptreKnives recovered on the first day of Operation Sceptre
Knives recovered on the first day of Operation Sceptre

Sergeant Ben Dimmock from the force’s Crime Reduction team said: “Today was a great start to our week of action on knife crime. It was great to speak to so many members of the public about knife crime, as well as raising awareness of what we’re doing to tackle it. Carrying a knife is unacceptable, and we’ll continue to work hard to apprehend those who do so.”

Roy Greening, manager at The Mall Luton, said: “The safety of those that work and shop at The Mall Luton is of paramount importance to us, and we are fully behind this initiative to tackle knife crime in Luton. We will continue to do all we can to assist Bedfordshire Police in engaging with the local community.”

To report information about someone carrying a knife, call 101 or report it via the force’s online reporting centre.