Knife murder: Amnesty bin set up by Owen Dunn’s loved ones

The installation of a knife amnesty bin is the latest offering from the community group which has also fitted 13 vented control cabinets in Swindon.

Owen’s World is made up of the family and friends of 18-year-old Owen Dunn, who was stabbed and killed on December 4, 2022.

The amnesty bin, which will be emptied regularly by Wiltshire Police, gives people the opportunity to dispose of knives and blades anonymously without fear of prosecution.

Mr Dunn’s mother Zoe Mitchell said doing the work was “therapy” and her son “would be happy” with the work being done in his memory.

The knife amnesty box shows a picture of Mr Dunn in the centre, with the words “Putting the knife here without fear of prosecution”.

It is mounted behind the John Moulton Hall Community Centre, in the heart of the Penhill estate, where Mr Dunn grew up and where his family and friends still live.

Miss Mitchell said: “We’re not trying to catch them (knife carriers), we just want them to use it and not worry about the repercussions.”

Ms Mitchell said: “Doing all this is like my therapy.

“It helps me get through losing (Owen), if something good can come out of it then I’m happy and he would be happy.”

Mr. Dunn’s addition would be to say “yes Zoe Mitchell!”

The Mayor of Swindon, Councilor Imtiyaz Shaikh, unveiled the amnesty basket, he said groups, authorities and organizations needed to work together more succinctly.

Mayor Shaikh said, “Efforts are going in different directions, what we need to do is to form a team and combine energy and effort as one team.”

Delighted with the installation of the amnesty box, he hopes that as a community we “support this charity and help it grow to help the young people of Swindon”.

Police community support officer Euan Passmore is part of the Stratton Central North Neighborhood team, which includes the Penhill estate.

Mr Passmore said giving people the opportunity to hand in their guns with no questions asked had proved “popular” in recent times.

He added: “It’s really important for us to work with them (charities and community groups), we have to work as a team to tackle knife crime.”

Wiltshire Police reported 64 crimes involving a knife or blade across the Force last month, which is 28.1% less than in June 2023.