Cops hunting for knife stashes

4:09pm Wednesday 20th August 2008

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'Knife sweep’ teams are searching groups of youths in Kingston as part of the Met’s crackdown operation on carrying bladed weapons.

Police are also rifling through bins and guttering at popular hangouts such as shopping parades, youth centres and community theatres in an effort to hunt out weapons which have been discarded or stashed.

A Kingston police spokesperson said safer neighbourhood teams “pleasantly” found no knives or bladed articles during the recent series of sweeps carried out in Coombe Vale and St James’s wards on August 14.

A further five searches were conducted across the borough yesterday but again police failed to turn up any weapons.

Chief Inspector John Pendleton said: “Kingston police are actively responding to growing concerns nationally of youth violence and the use of offensive weapons by adopting prevention is better then cure tactics.

“The fact that no offensive weapons are being located is a positive sign that the message we are sending is clear - Kingston police will not tolerate knives or any other offensive weapons.”

Officers have also been trying to educate young people about the dangers of carrying weapons, most recently with a talk aimed at international foreign students at Kingston University on August 15.

The Grove safer neighbourhood team spoke to the 18 to 25-year-olds about the law in England regarding tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and warned them they will be charged and could receive a criminal record if caught with an offensive weapon.