Havering Knife Bin Sees 271 Weapons Surrendered in Six Months.

Havering’s first ever ninja knife bin has already seen 271 knives and bladed items taken off the borough’s streets in its first six months.

The permanent knife bin was installed in the Central Park Leisure Centre car park in Harold Hill in June 2025. It allows people to anonymously and safely dispose of knives and other weapons.

Havering Council has supported the initiative through its community safety and enforcement teams as part of its flagship Where We Live campaign. The knife bin is funded by the Home Office and provided by Word4Weapons and is located next to the clothes bin in the park car park.

When using the bin residents are reminded to wrap weapons in newspaper bubble wrap or cloth before placing them in a sturdy bag or box that is completely sealed. Items should not be labelled and people should go directly to the surrender location without making any stops. Carrying weapons openly is illegal but going directly to surrender gives a good reason for possession if stopped by police.

The success of the knife bin follows the introduction of a nationwide ban on ninja swords which came into effect on 1 August 2025. It is now illegal to possess manufacture import or sell these weapons. Anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword could face up to six months in prison with this set to increase to two years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill.

Councillor Barry Mugglestone Havering’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said
“It is great that the knife surrender bin is proving be a good tool which has already got hundreds of knives and other dangerous weapons off our streets.

“We encourage anyone in possession of any weapons to do the right thing and surrender them as that means more lives saved but also not to carry them in the first place.

“Our commitment continues in doing what we can to help make our borough as safe as possible for all our residents and visitors.”

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