The national amnesty, the first for a decade and in part prompted by fears of a growing knife culture, began on May 24 and ran until the end of June, netting 89,864 weapons across England and Wales.
Another 12 645 were handed over in Scotland.
The previous one in 1996 which came after the murder of headteacher Philip Lawrence outside his west London school led to 40 000 weapons being handed over.
”I am delighted that so many knives have been taken out of circulation,” said Home Office minister Vernon Coaker.
”I want to send out a very strong message that carrying a knife without a legitimate reason is both dangerous and illegal. Those who carry knives must understand the weapons can be turned on them and that knives don’t make anyone safer.”
The amnesty followed a series of high-profile fatal stabbings such as the killing of 15-year-old Kiyan Prince, a promising footballer attacked outside his London school, and part-time policewoman Nisha Patel-Nasri.
Several anti-knife campaigners have said the amnesty will do little to stop knife crime, arguing only tougher sentences for carrying weapons will act as a deterrent.
Newspapers have reported there were more than 90 serious knife attacks including 19 fatal stabbings during the amnesty.
Home Secretary John Reid is now considering raising the maximum jail term for possessing knives or bladed weapons from the current two years, a Home Office spokesperson said.
On the back of the amnesty, the Home Office has given police in England and Wales £500 000 to crack down on those carrying knives and to spend on education programmes to make young people more aware of the dangers.
Official figures show that 6% of all violent crimes are knife-related. More than a quarter of the 820 homicides in 2004/05 involved sharp instruments and in London alone there were more than 12 500 knife-related incidents last year.
The peak age for knife crime is 15 to 18. Data shows 41% of those accused of robbery using a knife were in this age bracket, as were 17% of the victims.
Last month a survey by the Trading Standards Institute found that children as young as 12 were still able to buy knives in British shops, despite publicity over fatal stabbings.
”The amnesty is certainly a step in the right direction and I hope it will prove to be a catalyst in changing the culture of routine knife possession,” said Tony Melville of the Association of Chief Police Officers. – Reuters