8 hours Ago
Zombie knives, machetes and knuckledusters have been handed in to the UK’s first hospital to introduce a knife amnesty. St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, introduced the measure after noticing a leap in knife crime victims in its emergency department. Experts said the contents of the box after just six months were “terrifying”.
A cache of 87 weapons were surrendered during the first six months of the scheme. Amnesty bins mean that people can anonymously dispose of knives and other weapons. The bin at St George’s is situated on the hospital grounds, near to the emergency department.
Last year, more than 500 people with injuries from knives and other sharp objects were treated by doctors in St George’s emergency department – almost double the number seen in 2022. Medics at the hospital described how many victims say they “don’t want to die” when they are admitted for injuries caused by stab wounds. Cleo Kenington, consultant in emergency general surgery and major trauma at St George’s, said: “I’ve had to physically remove knives from patients on the operating table to stop them bleeding to death – it can take many teams of surgeons working on them, especially when the knife pierces multiple organs such as the heart and the guts.
“These patients are young, vulnerable and scared – they have their whole lives ahead of them and they often say ‘I don’t want to die’. “I’ve seen more and more patients being admitted with stab wounds – once they arrive at St George’s we provide them with the best possible care and most survive, but tragically many patients die before they can reach hospital as their injuries are so severe.” One patient, a male in his 20s, who chose to remain anonymous, described how he was stabbed with a 15-inch (38cm) “Rambo knife” while onlookers filmed on their phones.
“I didn’t even know I’d been stabbed at first,” he said. “I felt a sharp pain, then it was hard to breathe and I could feel a wetness – that’s when I looked down and saw the knife sticking out of me. I was losing blood and was trying to get away from there – people were standing around filming on their phones.
Jacqueline Totterdell, chief executive of St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, which is working with Wandsworth Council and Wandsworth Community Safety Partnership, said: “Keeping staff and patients safe is our top priority – that’s why we’re working with partners to keep weapons out of our hospitals.” The group said that following the success of the amnesty bin at St George’s, provided by knife crime charity Word 4 Weapons, it will also install bins at St Helier Hospital and Epsom Hospital. Speaking about images of the knives put in the bin at St George’s, Sandra Campbell, chief executive of Words 4 Weapons, said: “These images may shock people but they are even more terrifying up close – and have the potential to end someone’s life or cause serious damage if they were still on the streets.
” Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Tackling violence and making our streets safer is at the heart of this Government’s Plan for Change and we cannot do this alone. I’ve seen first-hand how hospitals like St George’s can help – they are so often at the centre of tragic incidences of knife crime. “Last month, we announced £9.
4 million of funding for the London Violence Reduction Unit which will enable them to continue funding youth workers in major trauma centres across London to help young people impacted by knife crime.”.
