More than 100 knives recovered in police crackdown

Insp Laura Leach said "113 dangerous weapons are now off the streets"

More than 100 knives and dangerous weapons have been recovered during a region's week-long police operation to prevent violent crime.

Swords and flick-knives were among items surrendered at police stations in Merseyside.

Officers also visited schools to talk about the risks of carrying a blade.

Insp Laura Leach said 113 dangerous weapons were "now off the streets of Merseyside and cannot fall into the wrong hands".

The week of action took place across Merseyside last week

Around 70 people from youth organisations, housing and children’s associations also attended two Knifesavers training events at Aintree University Hospital where they were taught how to deal with a knife injury and stem blood loss, using special bleeding control kits.

Insp Leach, deputy lead for serious violence and knife crime said: "As police officers we see first-hand the devastation brought about by knife crime and will continue working tirelessly to prevent other lives from being taken."

'Positive impact'

Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said knife crime had reduced by nearly a fifth in the last year "thanks to the hard work of Merseyside Police, our Violence Reduction Partnership and a whole host of partners including councils, schools and youth organisations".

“We know that enforcement alone will not tackle the root causes of why people find themselves involved in violent crime and that’s why prevention is at the heart of all our work," she said.

Ms Spurrell said launching a new Youth Empowerment Scheme would also help support the work, delivering projects "which will help to prevent young people from getting drawn into activities that could become criminal or dangerous".

Laura Hughes, whose brother Colin McGinty was stabbed to death in Bootle in 2001 in a case of mistaken identity, welcomed the campaign which she said had showed "positive impact can actually happen".