Knife arch placed at Birmingham New Street as police crackdown on knife crime in city centre

Rail commuters at Birmingham New Street faced delays exiting the station this morning (Thursday, May 25) as West Midlands Police conducted an operation.

The force had erected a knife arch at the entrance onto New Street with several officers aligning the route out of the train station. Commuters were asked to walk through the knife arch as they left the station to go into the city centre.

People were surprised with the delays with some commenting that it could have been easier if two arches were in place so that more commuters could get out of the station quicker, but in general were happy to pass through the detector equipment. We have asked WMP how long the knife arch would be in action at New Street, but have not received a response as yet.

Last week BirminghamWorld reported how WMP had erected a knife arch at the ramp, by Grand Central and Priory Queensway as part of Operation Sceptre - a dedicated initiative designed to keep up the pressure  on criminals armed with weapons in public and those who carry illegal drugs.

Officers asked members of the public to walk through the gateways - but it was not compulsory to do so. Drugs dogs were also used as part of the initiative and officers worked with partner agencies to pull over vehicles suspected of being linked to crime near Hockley Circus.

At the time police said their efforts to tackle knife crime will continue. Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green said: “It’s been a really successful operation. We’ve conducted numerous stops and searches, recovered lots of weapons, and have had the opportunity of working together with partners, volunteers, officers, and staff to really communicate with the public and particularly young people about the dangers of knife crime, the risks involved in it and the threat to communities of people carrying weapons.”

West Midlands Police has set up a dedicated Life or Knife website see here for advice for young people, parents, carers, teachers and other professionals.