Officers from Chorley and South Ribble’s Neighbourhood Policing team have teamed up with Trading Standards and young volunteers from across the area to conduct an under-age sales operation.
Operation Sceptre is a national, intensive week of action to tackle knife crime.
The exercises, which took place during Op Sceptre week last week on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th November 2024, were aimed to ensure that local businesses across Chorley and South Ribble are complying with legislation and that those under the age of 18 are unable to purchase knives.
In Chorley, five stores were visited. Four of them challenged our 13- and 15-year-old volunteers, asking them for ID before refusing to sell them a knife. One store failed the test by selling a bladed item to a child.
Five stores were also visited in South Ribble and again, one store failed the test and sold a knife to our 14 year old test purchaser.
Those stores will now receive a written warning and will be visited in future to ensure they are complying with legislation. A future fail will result in further enforcement action.
PCSO Lewis Deary from Chorley’s Neighbourhood Policing team said: “It’s really important that regularly carry out operations like this to make sure that local businesses are complying with the law.
“We will continue to work closely with Lancashire Trading Standards to ensure that dangerous knives do not get into the hands of children.”
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