Tackling violent crime in the night time economy

As part of the work being done to prevent violent crime through our Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), bars and clubs have received knife wands to deter people from carrying weapons on a night out in Weston-super-Mare.

Venues across Weston have received these knife wands free of charge through our VRU to enable venue staff to search customers to help detect anyone who may be carrying a knife.

There has already been a really positive response from venues who rarely have any issues relating to knife crime, yet they understand the importance of having a preventative initiative like this in place.

It’s important to stress that Weston’s evening and night-time economy is safe. We have Purple Flag status, which is a national award recognising a safe, clean and well-managed town centre and evening and night-time economy. The knife wands are an additional measure to help keep you safe.