Wednesday, 31 July 2019 15:53

Barnet’s knife bin for saving lives

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The knife bin in Union Street The knife bin in Union Street
A large bin for the safe disposal of all bladed weapons and instruments has been installed in Union Street, High Barnet, in support of the drive to curb the rise in knife crime.

“Collecting knives, saving lives” is the slogan of Word 4 Weapons, which says it is the UK’s leading weapons surrender charity.

It has sited the knife bin next to the pavement but inside the driveway and pathway beside the Roman Catholic church of Mary Immaculate and St Gregory the Great.

The message could not be clearer: “Bin weapons here. This box is for the safe disposal of all forms of knives, weapons and bladed DIY tools from your home.”

Most of the knife bins installed by Word 4 Weapons have been placed in inner London, but there are bins nearby at both Boreham Wood and Edgware.

The location of bins is designed to encourage the surrender of knives and they are “primarily positioned away from CCTV allowing weapons to be deposited anonymously”.

Advice can be obtained from the help line number on the box: 07452 743443 and information on bin location can be found at https://www.word4weapons.co.uk/

Word 4 Weapons is extending its work across the UK.

“There are too many lives being lost through the use of weapons on the UK’s streets. We are playing our part in an attempt to save lives by installing knife bins across the country.

“To date, tens of thousands of weapons have been deposited in our bins and with your help we will collect many more.”

The Union Street bin has been funded by Caritas Westminster, the Catholic relief and development agency for the Diocese of Westminster

4 comments

  • Comment Link Thursday, 01 August 2019 06:22 posted by Dee

    It's a great idea but maybe put up posters in shop windows to advertise it's there,as I know it has to be a private drop.

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  • Comment Link Friday, 02 August 2019 23:16 posted by Paul

    "most knife crimes are committed by using kitchen knives". "get all the parents to bin their excess knives, and know how many knives are in your kitchen draw."
    https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2019/aug/02/one-mans-fight-to-get-knives-off-the-streets-of-london-video

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  • Comment Link Thursday, 15 August 2019 20:48 posted by Rebecca Hannon

    Tucked away in the church car park on Union Street?
    This should be on the main road in plain sight

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  • Comment Link Friday, 30 August 2019 12:51 posted by Adrian Skelton

    Is there an issue with knife crime in High Barnet we are not aware of? Assume these bins are strategically placed based on knife crime stats?
    Common sense would suggest you put these where there is an issue. Very worrying someone feels High Barnet falls into this category.

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