Concerns about knife crime remain an issue in Hackney despite the success of amnesty bins in the borough.
Since 2007, hundreds of thousands of knives have been taken out of circulation by the 25 Word 4 Weapons boxes across the UK.
One of these boxes is outside St Ignatius Catholic Church on Stamford Hill, Stoke Newington, and residents provided their own ideas for how to reduce knife crime, including more police and educating young people.
Word 4 Weapons CEO Sandra Campbell said: “The bin at St Ignatius Church has been in use for many years and is well-known within the community.
“Thousands of items, including knives and larger weapons, have been surrendered there.
“Its position on a busy road and at a trusted church site makes it visible, safe, and easy to access.”
Bin placement is decided by Word 4 Weapons considering local crime trends, hotspot data, and community concerns.
Campbell reflected on recent success when Word 4 Weapons worked in coalition with the Home Office and FazAmnesty, which operates the mobile surrender van that travels into hotspot areas, allowing people to hand in knives and weapons directly.
Another success which Campbell highlighted was the Home Office funding 37 new ‘Ninja Bins’.
These bins were developed following Ronan’s Law, named after 16-year-old Ronan Kandra, who was killed with a Ninja sword.
His mother, Pooja Kandra, worked with the government to campaign for change, and in summer 2025, the law was amended to ban Ninja swords in the UK.
Campbell said: “This has marked a significant moment in demonstrating how bins and laws work together.”
Councillor Susan Fajana-Thomas OBE, cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services in Hackney said: “As a result of our work and partnerships, including with Word 4 Weapons, robbery and knife related injuries are down in Hackney.”
Despite reported success of the bins, wider concerns about their use remained in the community, while some members of the public claimed to be unaware of the weapons boxes
Renata Zargoska, 46, from Broad Lane implied the community might be reluctant to hand knives in.
She said: “Police will [use the knives] as proof to find people, without the proof they can’t be guilty.”
However, Campbell gave assurances that is not the case.
She said: “There is no surveillance, and no questions asked.
“While CCTV cameras are often nearby, we avoid using them as much as possible.
“People can drop items in safely without fear.
“The aim is to remove barriers and make it as easy as possible to remove weapons from streets and communities.”
Residents also expressed concerns about the welfare of their children.
Zargorska said: “My son is 14 years old and travels on his own with his friends to school. I always worry about him.
“Nearly every day there is an accident with knives, and we hear people shouting ‘we will kill you’.”
Marie Loiza, a 28-year-old parishioner at St Ignatius Church, said: “I am scared all of the time when my eldest goes out to secondary school.
“When you see the things happening in London it’s really sad.”
A mother who wished remain anonymous added: “Children go into school with weapons to protect themselves.
“They should not have them in the first place.”
Another parent who wished to remain anonymous, added: “After watching Adolescence, it shows there’s really nothing you can do.”
Adolescence is a psychological crime drama which examines the role of societal factors such as social media in the aftermath of a 13-year-old boy stabbing and killing his female peer.
Members of the community suggested more holistic methods need to be employed to reduce knife crime.
Loiza said: “Everything starts at home.
“We need more love and care for our kids, and more mums and dads staying at home to look after them.”
Dennis Paul, a 37 year-old security guard, said: “More education about knife crime for the kids [is a solution to the violence in the area].”
He added: “[The community needs] more police control.”
Campbell agree that the solution to knife crime lies beyond merely enforcement by the authorities.
She said: “It requires prevention, education, youth services and trusted non-police routes for people to surrender weapons.
“Youth workers are trusted adults capable of making a meaningful difference.
“Our goal has been to develop training programmes that equip youth workers with the skills to challenge misconceptions about knives and to guide young people towards safer choices.
“However, rebuilding the charity after the pandemic, along with financial constraints and limited staff capacity, has meant we have not yet been able to implement this.
“We will update our website to show that this remains a goal for the future rather than an ongoing project. With sufficient funding and resources, we are eager to return to this priority area.”
A charity shop assistant who found “a rather vicious looking knife” claimed she took it to the police station in Stoke Newington and got quite a negative reception.
She added she felt there was a lack of encouragement from the police for people to hand stuff in.
The Metropolitan Police were approached for comment.
Campbell said: “At police station front counters, staff are required to ask specific mandatory questions such as your name, address, and where the item was found.
“This can feel intimidating or off-putting, but it is a procedural matter, not a personal one.”
“We believe police should also guide people to our Word 4 Weapons surrender bins or the FazAmnesty van.
“With many police front counters closed or about to close to the public, it becomes even more important to promote these community solutions.
“What people need is a straightforward and reliable way to dispose of weapons, and that is exactly what our bins and mobile vans provide.”
Campbell added the challenges Word 4 Weapons face are the bins being graffitied, and even clothing and food waste being disposed of in them.
She said: “If people respected the purpose of the bins, it would significantly improve them.”
Cllr Fajana-Thomas said: “We are passionate about making Hackney safer and have a range of schemes including knife surrender bins located in Homerton and London Fields where people can hand in any weapons they have.
“On top of this we have also supported national initiatives like the mobile weapons surrender van operated by FazAmnesty which visited the borough in July.
“I would encourage anyone in possession of any weapons to do the right thing and surrender them.”
Feature image: Emily Elliott
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