A major police offensive on knife crime in Birmingham resulted in more than 50 arrests, which included teenagers, and a large cache of knives seized by officers during the operation.

The week-long operation – codenamed Sceptre – ran from 9 to 15 November and saw police teams across the region targeting suspected knife crime offenders and searching for hidden weapons.

The news comes amid several shocking incidents of knife crime in Birmingham and reports of an increase in similar incidents across the country, according to police.

An operation targeting suspected knife offenders was launched by the force to combat the disturbing rise in knife crime.

Police officers conducted more than 100 stop and searches and seized weapons including machetes, zombie knives and a sword; arresting a shocking 55 suspects.

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The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson campaigned to outlaw ‘zombie knives’

A police spokesperson said officers also conducted sweeps through Birmingham parks and open spaces – which yielded a total of 20 weapons while metal-detecting operations at transport hubs also led to arrests.

West Midlands Police released details of some of the arrests made and, disturbingly, some of the suspects taken into custody and charged with knife related violations were minors.

They confirmed two teenagers were found with large combat knives in separate incidents in Birmingham city centre and Chelmsley Wood.

Officers on robbery patrols in Upper Dean Street on 15 November chased down a 16-year-old in the Arcadian Centre car park after he attempted to escape.

The teenager was charged with possessing an offensive weapon and admitted the offence at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 17 November.

The young lad was returned to a youth detention facility after it was discovered he was on licence for previous knife offences.

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The police crackdown on knife crime yielded a serious stash of weapons including this ‘Rambo’ hunting knife

There was another shocking case of a teenager engaged in knife and drugs crime when officers arrested a 16-year-old youth during a stop and search in Blackcat Close, Solihull. A knife was found in his waistband and a large quantity of cannabis in dealer bags seized from a rucksack.

The teenager has been bailed till a date next month to give officers more time to conduct enquiries into the crimes.

In the early hours of 15 November, officers stopped the driver of an Audi in Lawley Middleway, near Eastside, on suspicion of drink-driving.

A machete was recovered at the scene and a machete sheath found concealed inside the man’s trouser leg. A 29-year-old man was released under investigation and sent to a mental health unit for an assessment.

Superintendent Gareth Morris praised the officers who took part in the successful knife crackdown.

“There was some really great work by officers across the patch, dangerous weapons taken off the streets and dozens of arrests,” he said.

Officers who worked on this operation claim there is an urgent need to divert young people away from the lure of knives, gangs and drugs. Police are urging anyone who suspects someone of knife crime to come forward and report the issue before another teenager is led astray, or an innocent person is hurt or killed.

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