Nearly 2,000 more knives have been taken out of circulation across Lichfield District as part of an ongoing knife amnesty campaign led by our officers and Staffordshire Police.
The initiative, now in its third year, encourages residents to safely dispose of unwanted knives in dedicated knife bins located across the district. The collected blades are then transported to the British Ironworks Centre near Oswestry to be melted down and recycled.
Between May 2025 and March 2026, residents deposited 1,958 blades into the district’s four knife bins, located at Morrisons in Lichfield, Morrisons in Burntwood, Burntwood Leisure Centre, and Tesco Extra in Lichfield.
On Wednesday 11 March, officers collected the knives from Lichfield Police Office on Eastern Avenue before transporting them to the British Ironworks Centre for recycling.
The knife bins are part of a wider anti-violence campaign delivered through a partnership between Lichfield District Council’s Community Safety Team and Staffordshire Police, helping to remove weapons from communities and reduce the risk of harm.
Councillor Richard Cox, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Public Protection, said:
“I’m pleased that the campaign has continued to gain momentum and that this past year nearly 2,000 more blades have been collected. Thank you to everyone across the district who has deposited a blade in one of the bins.
“It’s important to take them out of circulation so they can then be melted down and turned into other items. This campaign is helping the district become safer and I would ask residents to keep supporting it.”
Since the knife bins were first introduced in August 2023, a total of 4,458 blades have been collected across the district.
Chief Inspector Stuart Coleman, Commander of Tamworth and Lichfield Local Policing Team, said:
“We have been continuing our close partnership with Lichfield District Council on the important work tackling violence in the community.
“With our partners, we have taken more than 4,000 knives out of circulation in less than three years which is a great example of how this is working to prevent serious violence".