29 knife crime suspects arrested & 70 knives seized by West Midlands Police

Twenty-nine knife crime suspects have been arrested by West Midlands Police as part of a national initiative to tackle knife crime.

Operation Sceptre saw WMP erect knife arches across Birmingham city centre, including on the ramp by Grand Central and in New Street Station. Officers conducted 265 stop searches throughout the operation across the region - removing 70 knives and arresting 76 people in total. Of these 29 arrests were for knife crime related offences.

Other tactics included weapons sweeps, engagement with schools and local communities and knife surrender bins. Some of the activity included:

• Officers visited retailers to talk about the sale of knives. In Wolverhampton, Trading Standards launched a prosecution following a test purchase operation. 
• A virtual reality knives experience and workshop was delivered to students at Stockland Green Secondary School in Birmingham. 
• In Walsall, officers arrested a man following a drugs dog operation in the town centre, who was found with a razor blade and a knife. 
• Workshops were delivered at Sandwell Community School, with dates to follow at Wednesbury and Smethwick. 
• In Dudley an intervention and training offer presented a seminar and discussed the public health approach to tackling knife crime and emerging trends with professionals and partners. 
• A knife arch was set up in Solihull in conjunction with Safer Travel and numerous targeted patrols conducted in hotspot areas. 
• In Coventry, officers talked to shop owners and residents about knife crime, with tip on how to provide information about suspicious activity in the area. 

Supt Gareth Morris, who leads the response to knife crime in the West Midlands, said: “We carried out 265 stop searches during the week and saw lots of positive results, but the work to tackle knife crime doesn’t stop there.

“We will continue working in collaboration with partner organisations to support young people in making informed choices.

“Youth engagement forms a significant part of our approach to tackling knife crime, with officers and police staff working with schools, colleges, youth groups and partners to help young people move away from violence and involvement in gang activity.

“It’s vital that parents and teachers also talk to young people about knife crime so that we can all work together to tackle the root causes of youth violence and make the West Midlands a safer place.”