Merseyside Police get metal detectors to tackle knife crime

Frontline officers will be equipped with the devices in a bid to reduce crime on Merseyside

Handheld metal detectors have been rolled out to help Merseyside Police officers tackle knife crime.

A total of 140 devices have been placed in response vehicles to support stop and search powers.

Ch Insp Colin Dyer said the detectors would act as a deterrent to anyone who might carry a knife.

"We are committed to keeping communities safe and using all the tools in our arsenal to get weapons off our streets," he said.

The wands will not replace the requirement for a physical search but be used as a screening device for officers already conducting searches following an arrest, the force said.

The detectors having been funded through Operation Target, a force-wide operation to tackle serious and violent crime.

Merseyside has seen a 13% reduction in knife crime and a 9% reduction in serious violence during the financial year to date, the force said.

Serious violence in hotspot areas also fell, with a 25% reduction in serious violent crime compared to the same period in 2022.

In the last 12 months, Merseyside Police has made 229 arrests for knife possession offences and seized 1,088 knives.

Supt Phil Mullally said: "There are no circumstances where carrying a knife as a weapon is acceptable.

"The use of the metal detecting wands are part of our wider work to tackle knife crime and make it more difficult for people to conceal and use weapons in Merseyside."