Two jailed for carrying blades as Northamptonshire Police steps up fight against knife crime

Officers aim to shine a light on the message that going out with a weapon is "a really bad idea"
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Two men have been jailed for possession of weapons as Northamptonshire Police step up the fight against knife crime.

Magistrates sent a 36-year-old to prison for four months after he was found with a pocket knife and a golf club while already on bail.

And a shoplifter was sentenced to 20 weeks after using a knife to threaten staff in a Northampton store.

Police launched a campaign last week lighting up landmark buildings in four towns with messages warning of the risks of carrying weapons.

Officers stopped Lukasz Dlugosz, aged 36, after reports he had been seen acting suspiciously in Boughton just before midnight on May 6.

He was later found in in Moulton Lane, Pitsford, where he told officers he was just out for a walk.

Northampton magistrates heard he was searched and found to be carrying a folding pocket knife with a blade longer than three inches and an 'adapted' golf club which was classed as an offensive weapon.

Police lit up All saints Church in Northampton with its anti-knife crime messagePolice lit up All saints Church in Northampton with its anti-knife crime message
Police lit up All saints Church in Northampton with its anti-knife crime message

Dlugosz, of Beech Avenue, Northampton, was jailed for four months after indicating pleas of guilty.

In a separate case, 24-year-old George Jarvis, was jailed for four weeks and order to pay £100 compensation after being found guilty of using a knife to threaten staff at a grocery store.

Jarvis, of Spanslade Road, Standens Barn, also admitted four charges of shoplifting.

Superintendent Adam Ward, who is leading the drive to crack down on knife crime, said: "Recent events have shone a spotlight on what can happen if people decide to carry a knife.

Officers are sending out slogans warning of the risks of carrying weaponsOfficers are sending out slogans warning of the risks of carrying weapons
Officers are sending out slogans warning of the risks of carrying weapons

"Young people have ended up in hospital with knife injuries and two 16-year-old boys died as a result of stab wounds in separate incidents over the summer.

“We decided to launch our campaign this way – in town centres on a Friday evening – to make people really stop and think and to start a conversation.

"The messages, which will also reach people across Northamptonshire over the coming months in a variety of ways such as social media and bus advertising, makes a statement about a commonly-held misconception and then highlights why it just isn’t the case.

“The messages are preventative. They are about making people realise that carrying a knife in the first place is a really bad idea and has serious, potentially fatal and life-changing consequences."

Two teenagers are in custody after being charged with murdering 16-year-old Dylan Holliday in Wellingborough in August.

And a 17-year-old is due to stand trial at Northampton Crown Court next month charged with killing another 16-year-old in Corby in May.

Supt Ward added: "We understand that people consider carrying a knife for a variety of reasons and we want to make them realise why those reasons aren’t right.

“Knife crime is a matter of priority to us and has had fatal and life-destroying consequences in our county and the rest of the country. However, it’s really important to remember the vast majority of people don’t carry knives – it’s not a normal thing to do.

"It’s the small minority that do who commit these offences and we are committed to both preventing people carrying knives in the first place and taking robust action against offenders.”