Police chiefs order officers to stop publishing sinister images of knives they have seized… in case the pictures scare people
- Thames Valley and Surrey Police will stop publishing photographs of knives
- They want to ‘reduce fear of knives and knife carrying in our communities’
- Decision comes days after senior officer Cressida Dick backed the release
Two police forces have banned their officers from posting images of knives they have seized or recovered because it could frighten people.
Thames Valley and Surrey Police will stop publishing photographs of weapons surrendered in amnesties to ‘reduce fear of knives and knife carrying in our communities’.
Both forces routinely publish a gallery of weapons handed in.
Thames Valley and Surrey Police will stop publishing photographs of weapons surrendered in amnesties. Pictured, knives collected by Mildenhall Police force
Their decision comes just days after Britain’s most senior officer Cressida Dick backed the release of pictures to better inform the public of the problem.
David Green, of the think tank Civitas, said the decision not to show the pictures was ‘a mistake’, adding that police ‘should make it known what they are dealing with.’
In April Surrey Police’s chief constable urged officers to stop tweeting images of weapons and yesterday the force confirmed its change of practice.
‘We have taken a stance not to post images of knifes we seize,’ a spokesman said.
Their decision comes just days after Britain’s most senior officer Cressida Dick backed the release of pictures to better inform the public of the problem. Pictured, knives collected by Lowestoft Police Force