Poles pilot to detect knife crime

Ferroguarr police will be trialled by police for one month

Strathclyde Police is piloting a portable metal detector in the ongoing campaign against knife crime.

The Ferroguard poles will be trialled over the next four weeks in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire as part of the Safer Scotland crackdown on violence.

Police said the poles are a hi-tech way of scanning and detecting people who are carrying knives.

A spokeswoman said: "The system has already been trialled by forces down south and has proved to be successful."

If the poles prove "beneficial", they could be used elsewhere in Scotland.

Karyn McCluskey, deputy head of the violence reduction unit, said: "It's important we look at innovative ways of tackling violence and we are confident that these portable detectors will allow officers to search larger numbers of people in a safe and efficient manner."

The force is also trialling Kevlar gloves which double as metal detectors.