Knife wands rolled out in Southport late-night venues
KNIFE wands have been issued in Southport following an intervention from the town’s MP.
The metal detecting wands were issued in Liverpool in December in the wake of a fatal stabbing in a city centre nightclub two months earlier.
Following that announcement, Southport MP Damien Moore contacted the Sefton police team to see if they could be introduced in Southport as well.
The Sefton policing area commander, Supt Matt Boyle, wrote back to assure the MP that funding would be made available for the wands for local officers as well as licensed premises throughout the borough.
Merseyside police have now confirmed that the wands were delivered to venues around the town this week.
The “wand” scanners are used by staff to search customers to cut down the number of people carrying weapons.
Nick Hurd, the policing and fire service minister, said: “Knife crime can have devastating consequences on the lives of victims as well as their families.
“The Government is doing all we can to crack down on knife crime, to protect everyone in our communities. We must send out a clear message that it is not acceptable to possess a dangerous weapon and across the country we have encouraged more police forces to take part in targeted action.” Mr Moore added: “Whilst crime in Southport is down and Merseyside has the highest numbers of police per capita of any area outside London, we need to ensure confidence in public safety remains high, both during the day and in the evening.
‘‘This is why I contacted the superintendent to request that knife wands, as requested by club and bar owners, become a priority here.”