Shopkeeper gives up all 3,000 blades

JASON BENNETTO

Crime Correspondent

A shopkeeper handed over his entire stock of 3,000 knives - worth pounds 20,000 - as part of the national amnesty because he was worried that they could be used to hurt someone.

Reg Lindop, 72, who has run his family hardware store in Hanley, Stoke- on-Trent, for 35 years, decided to give up the weapons after a chance visit to his shop by two police officers who wanted a key cut. While waiting, the officers spoke to him about the national amnesty on knives.

Mr Lindop explained that he began stocking 6in-bladesheath knives two years ago but was worried about what they might be used for once sold.

The officers offered to take the knives on display back to the station but Mr Lindop surprised them by handing over several thousand that were stacked in a back room.

He said yesterday: "It's a good job that the police constables came into the shop. I had been thinking about the knives after the publicity over recent stabbings and had begun to think it was about time they were taken off the market ... I was afraid that someone locally may get hurt and it would be on my conscience."

A police spokesman said: "Mr Lindop said he would hate to think that one of his knives could be used to injure someone and asked if he could hand them in."

The 3,000 knives helped to boost the total number of weapons given to Staffordshire Police to 4,804 - the largest single amount of all the forces.