Published: 05:53 EST, 26 May 2023 | Updated: 08:37 EST, 26 May 2023
Shocking pictures show some of the terrifying weapons taken off London's streets - including a medieval flail and ninja blades taken from children's bedrooms. John Deere Tiller Blades
Ryan Biddiss, 28, is on a mission to clean up the capital after brutal murders near his home in Woolwich.
The ex-youth worker is running an amnesty - Protect Our Children - to encourage people to hand over their weapons.
And he has shared images of some of the items he has received - which range from kitchen knives to horrifying blades.
Mr Biddiss, who lives in the south-east London district, said: 'All the weapons I've collected are powerful and frightening.
Pictured is a medieval flail - - which has two spiked metal balls on a wooden pole - handed in by a London resident
Pictured is a double-handed 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' blade handed in by a resident
Ryan Biddiss (pictured), 28, is on a mission to clean up the capital after brutal murders near his home in Woolwich
'Some of the stuff is really shocking, and the weight of them is very scary. Parents call me up after they've found weapons in kids' play parks.
'Sometimes grandparents or parents who have found them hidden in kids' bedrooms; sometimes it's young people handing them in.
'People are scared, and people handing them in are frightened of repercussions.
'But I'm careful to protect them, because I want to encourage more people to hand weapons over.'
Mr Biddiss, who is starting a career in security, said zombie knives - inspired by sci-fi films - are among the scariest weapons he's handled.
He has also been handed a medieval flail - which has two spiked metal balls on a wooden pole - and double-handed 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' blades.
Zombie knives and machetes can easily be bought online with no checks. In March this year it was revealed that ministers were considering a change to weapon legislation to stop gangs exploiting legal loopholes.
Policing minister Chris Philp is set to rewrite laws to make it an offence to sell the huge blades online or in high street shops and to possess them in the home.
Pictured is a sword taken off London's streets as part of Mr Biddiss's weapon amnesty drive
Pictured are swords handed in to Mr Biddiss by a London resident
Pictured are a collection of weapons handed in. Some have been found in children's bedrooms and playgrounds
Mr Biddiss said he is running his weapon amnesty are in memory of those who have fallen victim to horrific murders in the area.
Fusilier Lee Rigby, 25, was savagely murdered in broad daylight by two jihadi extremists as he walked back to Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22, 2013, where he was based.
Tamim Ian Habimana, 15, was also murdered in the area. He was stabbed in the heart by a 16-year-old in a revenge attack in Vincent Road, Woolwich, on July 5 2021.
Mr Biddiss also lost his dad to cancer three years ago, inspiring him to take action and make a difference.
He said: 'My dad dying just broke me. And I'll never forget the day Lee Rigby was killed. It was awful.
'I saw Tamim Ian Habimana's mum. That brought me to tears. I knew I needed to do something.
'I meet families bereaved because of knife crime as part of my work promotion.
'It's really powerful when they hug you - you feel all that emotion and you know the work is extremely important.'
Pictured: A large blade and a machete handed in by a London resident
Kitchen knives were among the weapons handed into Mr Biddiss
Ryan set up accounts on social media - such as @pocpatrol21 on Instagram - two years ago.
He now has more than 3,000 followers and is working with the Metropolitan Police to encourage people with weapons to message or call him, he said.
He then asks for pictures of the items so he can plan how to keep safe at the hand over, and how to carry them safely.
Ryan lets police know the rough area he is collecting from so he has backup if needed, and so they know what he's carrying and where. But he keeps all the details of the address and the person to himself.
Sometimes the police meet Ryan to collect weapons from him, he said. But if there's going to be a wait, he carries weapons to the nearest station.
Ryan estimated he has recovered over 30 weapons from the streets so far, including three this month.
He said: 'I really want to be a part of making London safer. It is potentially dangerous for me - it could go wrong.
'The police know what I'm carrying and they give me a special number.
'I have to take the shortest route from where I am to the police station.'
The Metropolitan Police has been approached for comment.
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