Kitchen knives found during weapon sweeps of Newham parks
These two knives were found in Stratford Park - Credit: Archant
Knives with blades of up to ten inches long have been recovered from flowerbeds in Newham parks.
This knife was found in Stratford Park - Credit: Archant
Weekly weapon sweeps introduced during the summer have helped remove upwards of two knives a week from Central Park in Stratford alone.
The knives are thought to be hidden by youngsters to avoid being caught with a weapon during routine stop and searches.
Inspector Sean Davis, from the Stratford ward, said: “They are left there and then when they want to use them against each other they can go and get them at a later date, rather than carrying them from A to B.”
The intelligence led operation has also involved the police working with the council to ensure that overgrown foliage is cut back so that it provides a less inviting hiding place for dumped weapons, which tend to be kitchen knives.
This cleaver was found in the Green Street/Plashet Grove area - Credit: Archant
Although Insp Davis admits that it is very difficult to catch the culprits, it is thought that removing weapons from the street is partly accountable for the 20.9 per cent year-on-year reduction in street robbery across the borough.
“It is very difficult to attribute a knife to a particular individual so it is about moving them so they cannot be used to commit crime,” he explained.
Most Read
- 1 Man jailed for rape after attacking woman walking back from Canning Town
- 2 'London is moving east': City Hall's Crystal move confirmed for New Year
- 3 Masks, PCR tests and boosters: New measures to combat Omicron variant
- 4 'Extremely violent' Forest Gate robbery filmed by onlookers
- 5 Waitrose and Halfords recall items over health and safety concerns
- 6 Alexandra Burke: Stratford Christmas concert cancelled over 'safety fears'
- 7 Warning issued over fake Omicron variant test scam
- 8 Members of Mali Boys gang jailed for supplying Class A drugs into Essex
- 9 Westfield bar's licence under threat after girl raped
- 10 East London man charged with six terrorism offences
“We want to take knives away from the park and to keep ordinary members of the public safe so that they can enjoy themselves in our public spaces.”
Regular weapon sweeps were brought in by the police in an attempt to combat a rise in street crime during the summer months last year.
Read more:
