Police crackdown recovers 172 knives in Devon and Cornwall

Officers used a mobile "knife arch" to engage with the public

More than 170 knives have been removed from the streets of Devon and Cornwall during a week-long police crackdown.

Operation Sceptre involved all 43 police forces in England and Wales in an effort to tackle knife-enabled crime and violence.

In Devon and Cornwall, 152 knives were recovered from amnesty bins, five from weapons sweeps and 15 from seizures.

Actions also involved test purchases of knives from local retailers and targeting known knife carriers.

For the first time, Devon and Cornwall Police introduced the use of a mobile "knife arch" - a walk-through metal detector - to engage with the public and provide education.

During the operation, officers also made:

• 35 school and college visits

• 20 retailer visits

• Visits to 10 addresses relating to the purchase of offensive weapons

• Five stop and searches

• Three knife arch engagement events

Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Parker said, "You can see from these results that we take knife crime very seriously.

"In addition to the enforcement activity undertaken, we have carried out lots of prevention work through our engagement and education efforts.

"Devon and Cornwall remains one of the safest places to live in the country and the force will continue to provide a robust approach to knife-enabled crime to keep our communities safe."

Operation Scorpion was previously carried out in May 2023, when 304 knives were recovered across the two counties.