Crackdown on knife sales

UNDERCOVER under-18s have been trying to buy knives from shops across the county as West Yorkshire Police crack down on knife crime.

A week of action is taking place with officers working with young people learning about the dangers of knife crime on the way to and from schools.

Cadet volunteers, supervised by officers, have already been trying to buy knives from various shops. It is an offence to sell a knife or certain articles with blades or points to under 18s.

This week officers will be warning the owners of shops which sold knives to the volunteers.

Calderdale will see extra night patrols, presentations in schools, information stalls in shopping centres and early intervention work with those at risk of knife crime.

Elsewhere in West Yorkshire there will be sweeps of ant-isocial behaviour hotspots and searches of people going into pubs and clubs.

The campaign aims to spread the message that carrying a knife is never the answer.

Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said: “We are very concerned about knife crime – it can cause great harm to the communities we serve and there is no place for it in our society.

“It is something we take extremely seriously. Every single person who works for this force has a part to play in preventing it from happening and dealing with it when it does.

“Like in other areas of the country, knife crime has increased recently in West Yorkshire but the most recent statistics show a slight fall.

“We are absolutely committed to tackling all knife crime and initiatives like this week of action are very important for us to help to get the important message out there that carrying a knife is never the answer. No-one wants to see their loved ones caught up in the terrible consequences of knife crime.

“As an officer with many years’ experience I have had to comfort the grieving families of victims and arrest those responsible for it. Knife crime has impacted terribly on them.”

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “It is ultimately only through early intervention and prevention work that we will be able to most effectively deal with the scourge of knife and violent crime in our communities and this is why I wholeheartedly support this very timely week of action.’’