A knife amnesty bin has been placed in Woolwich town centre so people can dispose of weapons safely and without fear of prosecution.
Last week a man in his thirties was stabbed in Parry Place, off Plumstead Road, while in January 14-year-old Kelyan Bokassa was killed on a bus in Woolwich Church Street. Last September, Daejaun Campbell, 15, was killed in Eglinton Road, up the hill from the town centre.
The knife bin is the third to be placed in Greenwich borough, with two others having been placed in Abbey Wood and Eltham in July. A charity working with the council, Word 4 Weapons, has collected 214 weapons from these bins so far, taking them out of circulation.
Rachel Taggart-Ryan, Greenwich Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “Far too many lives have been taken by knives in Greenwich, and knife crime continues to have a devastating effect on our communities. After listening to resident feedback and careful location research, we have installed a third amnesty knife bin in Woolwich, following the success of the bins in Abbey Wood and Eltham.
“Weapons can be deposited safely in the bins, which are securely bolted to a concrete base with a letter box design which does not allow people to be able to reach the contents inside. We urge residents to visit our website to find out more about our Let’s Live #KnifeFree campaign, the risks of carrying a knife and the help and local support available.”
The three bins are at Sutcliffe Park, Eltham (to the right of the main entrance on Eltham Road); near Abbey Wood library (at the back of the old council office on Eynsham Drive/Finchdale Road), and next to Poundland in Woolwich, on Calderwood Street at the junction with Powis Street.
In 2023 Greenwich Council launched a campaign against knife crime after it was revealed that one life had been lost every 12 weeks in the borough.
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