Parents and young people in Suffolk are being urged to have "honest conversations" about knife crime as part of a national police week of action.

Operation Sceptre, which launched today, will see schools liaison officers working with young people in the county to deliver information about knife crime, county lines drug dealing and gangs.

Inspector Matt Paisley, from Suffolk police, encouraged families to talk about knife crime and the potential consequences.

He said: "Talking in the family setting about knife crime can often be overlooked, but it has never been more important to educate your family and friends on understanding the risks, and supporting each other to encourage honest conversations about knife crime.

"Young people particularly should be listened to and encouraged to think about their decisions and behaviour.

"Talking and listening is critical to finding a solution to the issue we have seen nationally around knife crime.

"Whilst the majority of young people do not carry knives, it is possible that children are in contact with friends who do so without parents/carers knowing.

"Often children will have talked about knives with friends or heard stories about those that carry them, and now that we have more freedom as lockdown restrictions ease, we must not ignore the fact that exposure to knives, or conversations and culture around knives may be more prevalent.

"There is plenty of useful information available on our website as well as advice for young people about gang/county lines culture and how to leave a gang.

"I urge parents and teenagers to take time to look at the pages.”

Knife amnesty bins are also in place across the county to give people the opportunity to dispose of knives and blades.

Three knife bins are located in Ipswich - outside the fire station, in Queen’s Way and in Bramford Road.

They are also at the police stations in Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds, Mildenhall, Sudbury and Haverhill.

There is also a bin in Stowmarket, at the junction of Stricklands Road and Ipswich Street.

Anyone with information on knife crime in their local community is asked to contact Suffolk police on 101, or pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

For more information and advice regarding talking about knife crime, click here.

For more information and advice about knife crime, see the Suffolk police website here.