A KNIFE BIN at a church in Clapton, Hackney, has collected more than 1,500 weapons since it was set up. The figure is greater than at any other amnesty drop-off point in London.

The numbers of knives being used throughout London appears, however, to be falling.

In 2012-13 the number of reported knife-crime offences was 11,375, a drop of almost 3,000.

The church, St-John-at-Hackney, is a cricket-ball throw from Clarence Road, which suffered badly in the mass looting of August 2011.

The vicar of St John’s, Father Rob Wickham, pictured above, interviewed on BBC TV, said that the facility was not exposed to security cameras, and this made anonymous donation easier.

Chief Inspector Andy Walker, of Hackney police, told Loving Dalston: “We are working hard with local communities to tackle knife crime, which continues to fall in Hackney and across London.

“We welcome any scheme that encourages people to think twice about the consequences of carrying a knife.”

Hamish Scott

* Emboldened underscored words in most cases indicate a hyperlink, a reader service rare among websites. If a link does not work, it is probably because the site to which the URL refers has not been maintained.