Knife Bins . . . Are they a load of rubbish?

Birmingham are having knife bins put in place across the city so people are able to drop off knives and other weapons anonymously. Supatrax ask “How beneficial are these gonna be to the community?” and, ‘If you do drop a knife in them . . . What will happen to you and the knife????

Knife bins started off in London in 2007 and so far have helped take over 8,000 knives and weapons off the streets of London. There are now 25 knife bins in 13 boroughs of London. The bins were set up to counteract the wave of knife and gun crime which have devastated communities for years. Knives and guns are openly used now a days by people, which end up with others in fear of their life, injured or even killed. 

The Birmingham bins are going to be located in Erdington, Ladywood, Lozells and Sparkbrook to start off with but this may spread over the city in the coming months. They are gonna be put in place for 9 months to start with, but this might also be extended depending on how successful they are.

Should you use the bin?

No one can deny these bins are an excellent thing in principal . . . If knives are off our streets, it’s better for all of us. The knife bins are a safe place for people to get rid of a weapon that they know they shouldn’t be using / carrying. Rather than dashing away a knife or strap in a public place, or having to carry it into a police station to have to hand it in – these bins are an alternative which offer a place to get rid of these things safely.

What is going to happen to the knives AND the people dropping them off?

The knives are all collected and melted down to a plaque that is given back to the community to highlight that all the weapons have been taken off the street and made the community safer.

Supatrax have discussed the Knife bin idea with some young people in Birmingham who highlighted that the knife bins seem like a big massive set up to get knives, get people’s DNA, get fingerprints and get them on CCTV dropping the knives off and then charge them at a later date! Of course the Police will investigate any knives in the bin that have blood on them . . . Of course the Police will look at the knives and see if they match the type of weapon used in a stabbing incident . . . but police insist the main aim of the bins are to get knives off the streets.

The bins are gonna be located in public places but police have stated they will not be covered by CCTV. 

‘The Police are involved . . . It seems like a set up!’

West Midlands Police met with Supatrax to discuss the bins and tell us how they will work. Supatrax was told that if someone was caught with a knife on them and they say they are going to drop it to a bin they would not be charged with possession. But don’t think you can be walking round wid a wetta thinking you can get off by sayin your on ya way to knife bin! If the knife is wrapped up and taped up so you couldn’t use it if you were stopped or got into an argument – the Police are likely to drop the charge. But if you got the ting rar on you, in ya waist or in ya sock, they will most likely charge you with possession of a weapon. If you’re caught on the other side of the city with the knife (miles away from the knife bin) and you say you’re on the way to drop it in the knife bin (but it’s not wrapped up etc) . . . The Police will not be having it! – We mean, they won’t have ya story, but they will take the knife and they’ll still charge ya!

The Police say they do not have the time to fingerprint and forensic every weapon, but they will have a duty to look at knives handed in if they think it could be related to an offence that has taken place or if it has blood on it. In London, guns were also put in the bins . . . and these will also need to be looked at to see if they are connected to a murder or shooting.

Are these bins needed?

Anything that’s gonna help get knives off the streets is needed. What is really needed, is a change to people’s attitudes to carrying a knife! Supatrax feel that most yutes carry a knife out of fear . . . the fear that someone else will have one and they will need a knife to defend their self. People don’t wake up thinking “I’m gonna carry this knife and kill a man today.” . . . But the fact that you got a knife on you, means that if things go the wrong way that day – someone could end up dead! You could end up lookin at a life sentence in pen and someone has lost a family member maybe a son, a daughter, a dad or mom etc.

To many people are on a hype badman ting! Supatrax do a range of MC workshops with yutes across the city and country and there are too many yutes are on a hype about shotin, straps, knives and a badman talk about what they do. We work wid young people to look at their lyrics and highlight the consequences of what they are chattin about and promoting. If ya gonna chat about certain tings and man move to you a certain way – it’s probably because of what your talking about. If your constantly sayin you got the heat on you . . . Man will move to you with the heat! They have no choice cus dat’s what your talking about. If you chattin about wettin a man – You’re likely to get wet if you and a man have got beef, cus their gonna presume that you got a wetta on ya!.

Would you use the bins?

We are all sceptical of anything the Police are involved wid – people say “You just can’t trust em!” With a person dropping a weapon in the knife bin, it could be the end of an issue that has been over their head for a long time and hopefully these knife bins can be the start of people making positive steps to change their life styles and helping their friends / family make those positives changes. If you got a bredrin or family member that carries a knife, now is the time to get rid of it before they end up being charged with carrying a weapon OR they end up using it and killing someone! Maybe you could get rid of the knife for them! If you know it’s lying around why not just get rid of it and drop it in the knife bin.

You should make it your responsibility to get rid of any weapon you have safely, and help stop the fukry that is goin on outta street. If you dash a knife away outta street and a yute picks it up they could injure themselves or use it on someone else. These bins are a good safe place to get rid of knives and other weapons.

Are these bins rubbish? (Ya get it . . . Bins . . . Rubbish)

We would love to hear what you think. Are these bins a set up by the Police? Are they going to make a change, or what do you think would make a difference to help stop knife crime? Is there anything that can help with the reduction of knife crime? Let us know your views as we are looking to create a project to help tackle knife crime and your views could be vital in making a change. Email info@supatrax.com Twitter: @supatrax