Frontline police officers will be equipped with metal detecting ‘wands’ to combat rising knife crime in the West Midlands.
The eighty knife wands were purchased through the Asset Recovery Fund which is money seized from criminals. These scanners will be utilised in support of the police’s stop and search powers.
Chief Superintendent Chris Todd – West Midlands Police lead on stop and search – said:
“This investment means that close to half of our response cars will now carry knife wands. It’s a move that’s been taken as part of our wider work to tackle knife crime and to make it more difficult for people to conceal weapons.”
Knife crimes in the West Midlands have increased by 83% since 2014.
Government data shows that knife crime in the West Midlands has increased far more than other major metropolitan areas.
London has seen 51% more offences in the same period and Greater Manchester only 11% more.