MORE than 300 knives are now off the streets after Greater Manchester Police's amnesty.

Temporary amnesty bins were place in 10 locations across the region at the start of the year. As permanent bins arrived this month to kick off the forever amnesty, the knives collected so far were counted up into the hundreds.

Sgt Paul Nolan of GMP’s Violence Reduction Unit said the scheme is a success: “We are sharing the images of knives not to frighten people, but to thank those who have taken the time and effort to bring knives into their local stations.

“The bins are out there to encourage anyone who comes across a knife, in any part of their life, whether it has been obtained through a hobby, such as hunting or fishing or anyone who has previously ordered a knife online and now wants to get rid of it.

“The amnesty is not about secrecy, it’s to allow people to bring a knife to a police station where they can deposit it into a bin. The purpose is to reduce the number of knives on the streets of Greater Manchester and this is proving to be a safe and secure way of doing this.”