Rail weapons search 'worthwhile'

British Transport Police use portable metal detectors

An operation to reduce knife crime on trains, which saw airport-style metal detectors installed at Carlisle railway station, has been declared a success.

Passengers were asked to pass through the detectors on Friday in a one-day operation by British Transport Police.

The move followed a recent knives amnesty, in which almost 300 weapons were handed in to Cumbria Police.

Police seized one knife during the operation and made a number of other drug-related arrests.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said the operation had been worthwhile in highlighting the dangers of potential knife crime on the railways.

He said: "While the railway is still one of the safest methods of travel, with only one knife-related incident for every four million passenger journeys, BTP and our partners aim to reduce this figure even more with the support of passengers."