SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S MAYOR SUPPORTS SCEPTRE

Published 21 May 2025 at 11:30am

South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, is supporting Sceptre, a national week of police action to tackle knife crime.
 
 The bi-annual week of action, held from 19 – 25 May, sees South Yorkshire Police stepping up activities to tackle knife crime, working with partners from across the county.
 
 As well as conducting targeted policing operations the force will take part in increased community engagement, proactive communications, the delivery of educational materials on the dangers of carrying knives and information on the impact that knife crime has on victims, perpetrators, families, and communities.

 South Yorkshire’s Mayor took on Police and Crime Commissioner powers last year, with one of his manifesto commitments prioritising a zero-tolerance approach to knife crime.

Commenting, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard said: “We’ve seen all too recently what knife crime does to our community; how young people in particular are at risk of ruining not just their own lives but the lives of others too.

“That’s why I’ve made it a priority through my work as Mayor, and why we need a zero tolerance approach when knife crime does happen anywhere in South Yorkshire.

“Weeks of action like Sceptre are important because they make that promise a reality; helping to take knives off the streets, but also putting early intervention and education at the heart of our approach.”   

Knife crime includes all incidents that involved a knife or a sharp instrument. In South Yorkshire there has been a downward trend in the numbers of incidents over the last 12 months of recorded figures according to Office of National Statistics.

The fight to remove knife crime from our communities has also been further strengthened with the government’s recent announcements about a proposed ban on certain types of swords and the largest ever review into how knives are sold online to identify any gaps in legislation which will prevent these being sold illegally to under-18s.

If someone you know is carrying a knife, you can report it to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.