Knives amnesty nets 600 weapons

More than 600 knives have been taken off the streets

More than 600 knives have been handed in during a two-week amnesty across Tyne and Wear.

Police launched the crackdown after a spate of stabbings and incidents of disorder in the area.

A total of 653 weapons were handed in, including flick knives, daggers, hunting knives and machetes.

Chief Constable Mike Craik, of the Northumbria Force, said the next phase of the campaign was to target known offenders and carry out spot checks.

Police said the campaign backed up their policy that anyone found carrying a knife would be charged, not cautioned, unless there were exceptional circumstances.

After the holidays, officers will be going into schools to give talks to pupils on the consequences of carrying knives.

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The knives handed in to Northumbria Police under the amnesty

Serious knife crimes have fallen in the force area, with 284 from January to June, compared to 351 for the same period in 2007.

But Mr Craik said there was no room for complacency and the campaign had a long way to go.

He said: "We do not have the gang culture that places like London have, but it is still a problem - last night alone there were three incidents in the area involving knives.

"People carry knives for lots of reasons. They are often ill, on drugs, or are psychologically damaged in some way - sometimes young people just think it's cool.

"That is why we have been into pretty much every school in the Northumbria force area and will be going in again.

"Fear is a very personal thing - but we want people be to be able to leave their homes and feel confident they are not in danger."