A KNIFE amnesty has been launched in Clacton with the unveiling of a bin to dump weapons in.

The red plastic container, bearing the slogan “Bin it...live smart”, will be in place at Clacton police station for the next three months.

Cops have set up the bin to encourage people to dispose of their blades before they can be used in violent attacks.

The amnesty has been launched after a spike in knife crime incidents over the last year.

Acting chief inspector Russ Cole said: “We are trialling the knife bin over the summer period. This is about reducing the number of weapons on our streets.

“Last year we did see an increase of about 30 offences involving knives which we were not expecting.

“Now we need to be proactive and take preventative measures to make our streets safer.

“Even if only a few knives are handed in we will consider this a success. Those are weapons that could have otherwise been used in crimes.”

The bin has a bristled slot in the top to allow people to safely drop knives inside.

Anyone disposing of a knife should wrap it up or put it in a secure container before binning it.

As well as launching the knife bin, police will also be carrying out stop and search operations, taking a zero tolerance approach to those carrying weapons and encouraging more education in schools.