Hi-tech blitz launched on knife crime

8:00am Thursday 23rd November 2006

Comments (0)   Have your say »

RANDOM searches for knives and bladed weapons using airport-style security scanners are to be carried out by police as part of a major new campaign.

Thames Valley Police is launching Operation Blunt today to tackle knife crime and reduce the number of people who routinely carry knives on the streets.

During the National Knife Amnesty earlier this year 4,300 knives were handed in over a period of two months in the Thames Valley.

In 2005 there were 948 knife incidents in the Thames Valley, including 287 in Oxfordshire.

To search out knives, officers across the force will be using search arches, which are similar to the metal detectors used for security at airports. The arches will be used in public places, such as school gates, shopping centres and transport hubs.

Acting Chief Superintendent Paul Tinnion, who is leading Operation Blunt, said: "We will be working jointly with schools and colleges, using the search arches at random locations and times.

"The detectors will be used both as a deterrent to reinforce the message that if you consider carrying a knife you will get caught. We will also use the search arches at knife crime hotspots to catch and prosecute people who are carrying knives illegally."

For more information on Operation Blunt log on to Operation Blunt.