40 knives seized

OVER 40 knives have been seized on Merseyside as part of ongoing work being done to combat knife crime. Merseyside Police was 1 of a number forces across the UK that took part in a week long operation that took place over 17 July to 23 July 2017.  As part of the week officers carried out high visibility patrols in key areas and offered safety, crime reduction and reassurance messages as part of its ongoing work to address the issue of knife crime. Police Officers used a variety of tactics in identified hotspot locations across Merseyside including using knife wands, as well as visiting licensed premises and local Schools, to carrying out knife sweeps and test purchases.

In total 41 knives were seized, 40 people were arrested for a variety of offences, including possession of a bladed article, and there were 17 stop searches. Open land searches were also conducted across the Force, by Local Policing Teams, resulting in the recovery of several weapons.

Knife wands were used in Bus and Train Stations across St Helens and over 1700 Primary and Secondary students in the Liverpool and Knowsley areas received important educational messages about the risk of carrying and using knives.

Test purchases were carried out in Knowsley, at retail outlets, with no sales being made at any of the 11 stores and staff checking the buyer's age. Further test purchase activity was also undertaken in Wirral with no sales made.

Inspector Andy Creer said:- "We know that knife crime is of concern to the general public and I want to assure people that combating and educating people about knife crime is part of our day to day work, not just during the week of action, and shows we are committed to ensuring that Merseyside remains a safe place for people to live, work and visit. I hope that by constantly stressing the dangers of knife crime that we are getting the message across, particularly to our young people. It was pleasing to see when test purchase activity was undertaken in Knowsley no sales were made at the stores we visited; the same shops sold knives when we took part in a similar week of action earlier this year, so it is clear that lessons have been learned. Knives are dangerous and there is no place for them on the streets of Merseyside. Using a knife can have devastating consequences not only for the victim and their family, but also the offender. I would urge people to educate themselves, speak to their children and family members and prevent the repeat of any tragedies. We are grateful for the support of the community and our partners in carrying out this work and we will continue to work towards removing knives and dangerous weapons from our streets and bringing those responsible for carrying and using them, to justice. We will act on all information reported to us around knife crime. Anyone with information can call Police on:- 101 or the Crimestoppers line anonymously on:- 0800 555 111."