Detectorists join Greater Manchester Police knife crime operation

The volunteers found knives, a hammer, a sharpened piece of metal, a BB gun and drug paraphernalia

A pair of amateur metal detectorists have gone from searching for Saxons to sweeping for knives as part of a police force's "crackdown on knife crime".

The hobbyists helped Greater Manchester Police scour areas of Wigan during a week-long operation in November.

They were led by PCSO and fellow metal detectorist Alan Mitchell, they found knives, a hammer, a sharpened piece of metal, a BB gun and drug paraphernalia.

He said he believed using detectorists could be "very valuable to the force".

A force representative said the "volunteer metal detectorists" had worked with its neighbourhood policing and investigation teams to "scan areas for hidden or discarded objects of interest, such as weapons, but also jewellery or burner phones".

PCSO Mitchell (left) said he hoped the volunteer role would be "extended to other areas of GMP"

PCSO Mitchell said he had been "metal detecting for a few years" and "offered to help manage the volunteers" when he heard about the initiative to use them.

"The volunteers joined me in Wigan carrying out knife sweeps in the local park areas," he said.

"During the course of the day, the detectorists successfully uncovered knives, a hammer, a sharpened piece of metal, a BB gun and drug paraphernalia.

"All these items were seized by officers and booked for destruction."

Supt Hemingway said it was "a perfect example" of police and communities fighting crime together

He said he hoped the volunteer role would be "extended to other areas of GMP as I think it's very valuable to the force".

Supt Caroline Hemingway said: "We've long said that we need communities to come together to help tackle knife crime and this is a perfect example of that in action."

However, she added that any detectorists wanting to help police should only do so under the watchful eye of an officer.

"I do want to stress... that GMP does not endorse or encourage weapons sweeps unless they are supervised by police," she said.

"Weapons and drug paraphernalia are a potential bio-hazard and need to be recovered and destroyed appropriately by the police."