New Bolton amnesty bin educating and engaging with local community on knife crime

Bolton’s neighbourhood policing team have introduced a new amnesty bin in the town centre to deter knife crime and encourage people to dispose of potentially deadly weapons.

The purpose-built bin – the attached letterbox of which can only open inwards and automatically locks – was created in conjunction with the local council.

Many knives are held in innocence or ignorance of their illegality. Those surrendering knives are not required to give any personal details and will not face prosecution for carrying them.

More broadly, the creation of the amnesty bin forms part of our commitment to tackling knife crime across the entire force-area, of which Operation Venture has been a huge part.

Marking three years since its formation in December 2025, the dedicated knife-crime team has secured more than 958 arrests, recovered nearly 300 weapons, in addition to seizing hundreds of vehicles and conducting over 2,500 stop-searches.

The team operate in different hotspots across Greater Manchester, assisting existing resources in districts such as Bolton, in a bid to tackle violent crime and deter and reduce knife-related incidents.

Bolton’s neighbourhood policing team regularly conduct their own proactive patrols, including during evenings and as part of the night-time economy, to monitor areas and provide a presence,

The bin was designed by students via our Mini Police School scheme, with the chosen designs painted onto them by Bolton College Art students as part of their coursework.

This work has also enabled officers to engage with young people about the dangers of knife crime.

The bin will be mobile and deployed with neighbourhood policing staff at various locations throughout the district, and will be advertised in advance.

Sergeant Jess Prudence, from GMP’s Bolton Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Knife crime is something that we are committed to tackling across Bolton and the implementation of the amnesty bin adds a discreet and quick way for anyone with any illegal or deadly weapons to get rid of them, no questions asked.

“The work we’ve done with local schools and colleges has also helped educate young people on the dangers of knife crime, and it has been great to see them engage with the project and create a variety of anti-knife content and slogans.

“Through work on the district and with specialist teams such as within Operation Venture, we will continue to crack down on all forms of criminality and remove knives and other weapons from the streets.”

Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Stronger Communities, Cllr Rabiya Jiva, said: “The knife amnesty bin is an innovative and effective step towards reducing knife crime and we are pleased to be working with the police on it.

“Knife crime blights our communities and our town centre and we know that people are concerned about it.

“We are determined to take impactful action so that people can feel safe where they live, where they work and on nights out.”