Lancashire Police report a reduction in serious violence after a successful plan to tackle knife crime through Operation Grip

The force identified 20 hotspot areas within Lancashire, and found that there was a 12% reduction in crime, and a 24% decrease in serious violence between October to December 2022 (compared to the same time period in 2021).

As part of Operation Grip, there’s been an increase in randomised foot patrols, vehicle stop and searches, and intelligence led disruption visits with the aim to reduce knife crime.

Sergeant Dan Whitaker, who is based within the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network (VRN), said: “Prevention and early intervention are at the heart of what we do, and these fantastic results reflect just that.

“A lot of our work is supported by our partners and community links, who we work with closely to achieve the best possible outcome for victims and prevent future crimes and incidents within our communities. [We] hope to see more results like this going forward.”