Four charged with knife crime offences

Four men have been charged with knife crime offences in a dedicated, national week to tackle the crime.

Operation Sceptre, the national week of action to tackle knife crime, runs from 16 May to 22 May.

During the operation officers and staff will be sharing examples of the good work that is underway to tackle the root cause of knife crime.

Earlier this week we reported on a Derby man being charged and remanded to prison for wounding with intent and possession of a knife.

 Since then, officers across the county have been working proactively to make further arrests and charges.

Patrolling officers in Chellaston arrested a man in Osmaston Road, after receiving a report of an incident in the area on Monday evening (16 May).

Andrew Langley, 41, of Farndale Court, Derby was later charged with possession of a knife.

On Tuesday (17 May) a 19-year-old man from Swadlincote was arrested for possession of a bladed article in Arleston Drive, Woodville, after officers received a report about youths behaving suspiciously in a nearby park.

Connor Hearne, of Covert Place, Albert Village was later charged and bailed to appear at court.

Also on Tuesday in Ilkeston, two men were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a knife after officers were called to a disturbance in Swanwick Road.

Zachary Butler, 26, of Boythorpe Close, Ilkeston and Anthony Hutchinson, 21, of Blackwell Avenue, Ilkeston were taken into custody for questioning and subsequently charged with the offences.

All four men are set to appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court on 1 June.

Whilst Derbyshire Constabulary work all year round, in a variety of ways, to tackle the issue of knife crime over the next week we will be placing a spotlight on our activities.

This includes sharing the work we do with partner agencies, speaking to young people in schools, conducting knife sweeps in public places, and holding various events and activities to highlight the dangers of knife crime.

The week will also see us host a knife amnesty in locations across Derbyshire. You can find out more on our website: Force to take part in national campaign against knife crime, Operation Sceptre | Derbyshire Constabulary .

You can also follow #OpSceptre on social media to see all the work going on across the country this week.