Police deploy ‘knife arch’ detectors in railway stations

POLICE forces have deployed knife arches at railway stations across England and Wales as part of an operation to combat violent criminals.

Travellers leaving or entering the stations have either been asked to pass through the arches or been stopped and searched by police if they prompt suspicious behaviour.

The arches, which use electromagnetic pulses to detect metal on anyone walking through them, are moved regularly to different locations to check or deter criminals passing through transport hubs.

The Metropolitan Police also brought in drug detection dogs and are using Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras to target drug dealers as part of the nationwide Operation Sceptre.

Weapons sweeps and patrols have also been intensified, which saw a machete with a 16in (40cm) blade seized from a 16-year-old who attempted to escape on a moped and then on foot.

Yesterday, Merseyside p ol i c e deployed knife arches at stations across the Wirral, while Thames Valley located them at Reading West, Tilehurst and Pangbourne stations on Wednesday.

Leicester police mounted a knife arches at “hotspot” locations on Monday. Seizures included a 12in (30cm) blade, recovered when police boxed in a car at a petrol station in the city. In a separate incident, a police dog helped

‘We are committed to not only bearing down on high harm offenders but also preventing violence’

to arrest suspects carrying knives.

Police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose by six per cent to 46,265 for the year to March, a record high. The trend has, however, been reversed in London.

Commander Jane Connors, the Met’s violence lead, said: “We are committed to not only bearing down on high harm offenders but also preventing violence from occurring in the first place, with officers putting a focus on education and intervention with young people.