Knife bins located in towns and districts across York and North Yorkshire have now collected more than 8,500 bladed items since the programme’s countywide expansion began in early 2025.
Between December 2025 and May 2026, more than 5,583 bladed items were collected.
The bins allow members of the public to dispose of knives and other bladed items safely and anonymously. Items are collected and destroyed by North Yorkshire Police, ensuring they cannot fall into the wrong hands.
Designed and delivered by the Community Safety team at North Yorkshire Council, the project builds on a successful pilot launched in Harrogate in January 2023. The Harrogate bin has now collected 3,951 bladed items in total, up from 2,465 at the time of the countywide rollout.
Following the success of the pilot, the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority funded an expansion of the project through a £15,000 grant from the York and North Yorkshire Serious Violence Duty (SVD) Prevention and Early Intervention Fund.
Knife Bins were installed in Selby, Tadcaster, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Skipton, Settle, Stokesley, Northallerton, Thirsk, Richmond, Colburn, Malton, Pickering, Scarborough, Whitby and multiple locations across York.
While knife crime in North Yorkshire remains significantly lower than the national average, the project reflects a shared commitment by the Combined Authority, City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police to reduce serious violence and remove dangerous weapons from our streets before crimes can be committed.
Jo Coles, York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Police, Fire and Crime said:
Thankfully we live in one of the safest regions of the country, but violent crime does still happen here and unfortunately crimes involving weapons have been increasing.
Knife crime devastates lives and families. Removing knives from circulation is one of the most direct ways we can protect our communities.
The Mayor David Skaith and I are committed to supporting early intervention activities to protect the public. That’s why we’ve provided funding for a series of knife drop bins across the region, as a result of which more than 8,500 bladed items have been taken out of circulation.
Thank you to our partners with this project, especially the two local authorities and North Yorkshire Police. Every knife taken off the street can help to make our region safer for everyone.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services, Cllr Heather Phillips, said:
This initiative, designed and delivered by the community safety team at North Yorkshire Council, is making a real, visible difference in keeping our communities safe. Every item safely disposed of is one less weapon on our streets and one less chance for serious harm to occur.
It is especially encouraging to see communities across North Yorkshire playing their part in supporting the council’s scheme. The continued use of these bins shows how residents are actively helping to prevent violence and make their areas safer.
By working closely with our partners, we are taking practical, preventative action that helps protect residents and reinforces our shared commitment to community safety.
