700 face knife scan on night out in Newport
Police scanned more than 700 revellers in Newport for knives, as part of a month-long crackdown.
Hundreds of people out in Newport last Friday were asked to walk through a knife arch, which scans for the weapons, as West Mercia Police continued its efforts to stamp out knife crime.
It has also been revealed that since January, Telford police, Telford & Wrekin Council, and its other partners have made more than 230 inspections at licensed premises.
It comes as police in Telford have been developing 'Telford Against Night time Disorder' (TAND), a partnership designed to make the borough a safer place for people on a night out.
Now, as part of West Mercia Police's month-long knife amnesty, Operation Sceptre, a number of operations and events are taking place as part of the effort to remove knives from circulation.
On Friday night, police officers, community support officers, licensees, and staff from Telford and Wrekin Council ran the joint operation in Newport, which saw more than 700 people pass through the knife arch at the entrance to licensed premises within the town.
Police have said they were delighted with the operation as the night passed without significant incident.
Superintendent Tom Harding said: "The operation on Friday in Newport was a great success, with partners from Telford Against Night time Disorder coming together, in support of the licensing objectives, to make our communities safer."
As part of Operation Sceptre, a knife amnesty bin has been placed at Malinsgate Police Station and has so far seen more than 165 knives deposited.
It will remain in place until October 16.
Superintendent Harding added: "Thankfully the criminal use of knives or bladed articles is still a relatively rare event in Telford, and so I would encourage anybody who may wish to anonymously surrender a knife, to do so by using the amnesty bin."
The police have said there will be no immunity from prosecution if it is discovered that one of the surrendered weapons has been used in an offence.
The knives surrendered will be delivered to the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry where they will be used to build a plinth for a 20-foot high Knife Angel sculpture in memory of those who have lost their lives to knife crime.
Further operations are planned throughout Operation Sceptre at Wellington, Newport and Southwater, which Superintendent Harding and John Campion, the West Mercia Police Crime Commissioner, will be attending.
