First UK hospital knife amnesty has ‘terrifying results’

Zombie Knives, machetes and knuckle dusters have been handed in to St George’s Hospital in Tooting in UK first measure

Transcript

00:00St George's Hospital in Tooting was indeed the first hospital in the UK to introduce

00:07a so-called knife amnesty, with a bin located near the emergency department at the South

00:15London Hospital, where people may anonymously dispose of knives and other weapons. And just

00:23six months after the scheme, experts have described the findings as terrifying, with

00:30items such as zombie knives, machetes and knuckle dusters found. London is of course

00:37known for its violent epidemic, particularly astonishing levels of knife crime. Last year

00:45more than 500 people with injuries from knives and other sharp objects were treated by doctors

00:53in St George's Emergency Department, almost double the figure that was seen in 2022. Medics

01:02at the hospital have described how many victims say they quote-unquote don't want to die when

01:09they are admitted for injuries caused by stab wounds. Cleo Kennington, a consultant in emergency

01:17general surgery and major trauma at St George's says, I've had to physically remove knives

01:24from patients on the operating table to stop them bleeding to death. It can take many teams

01:31of surgeons working on them, especially when the knife pierces multiple organs. Patients

01:37are young, vulnerable and scared. They have their whole lives ahead of them.