South Yorkshire Police knife amnesty to end at midnight

Blades can be handed in without questions being asked at Snig Hill police station in Sheffield; Barnsley station on Churchfield; Doncaster station on College Road and Rotherham Station on Main Street.

The amnesty was organised following an increase in knife crime over the last year.

Between April 2016 and March 2017, there were 1,176 offences reported compared to 807 the year before.

Offences in Sheffield went up by 41 per cent, with 557 reported.

There were 277 knife crimes in Doncaster - up 47 per cent; 186 in Rotherham - up 52 per cent and 156 in Barnsley - up 51 per cent.

Of all the knife crime incidents reported last year, 461 - 36 per cent of the total - were for possession; 386 - 33 per cent of the total - involved knives being used to threaten victims and

322 were attacks in which victims were stabbed, slashed or cut - 27 per cent of the overall total.

Police chiefs want blades to be handed in to prevent them falling into the wrong hands and being used in crimes.

Those who carry knives run the risk of a four-year jail term.

A South Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "We’ve launched a South Yorkshire wide campaign to drive home the devastating consequences of knife crime can have and what could happen if you are caught carrying a knife.

"Did you know if you carry a knife, even if it’s for your own protection or for someone else, you will be arrested and prosecuted.

"Possession of a knife carries a prison sentence of up to four years, even if it's not used, and you will get a criminal record.

"If you stab somebody and they die, you could face a life sentence.

"Some people carry knives to protect themselves and 'keep safe'. But if you carry a knife you are much more likely to use it and to get stabbed yourself.

"There is no ‘safe place’ to stab someone. A wound in the arm or leg can still be life-threatening. If a knife punctures an artery you can bleed to death within a minute."