POLICE have seized over 200 weapons in an operation which took place across London last year.
Officers explained that the seventh phase of the Operation Sceptre was targeting knife crime going on in the capital as the weapons were found.
Weapons seized included more than 49 knives, six guns, 129 rounds of ammunition and 23 offensive weapons as the searches were carried out.
Commander Jim Stokley, head of the Met’s Gangs and Organised Crime Command, said the weapons had been “put down” by gangs on estates and hidden so they could be picked up and used in attacks or clashes with rivals.
The knives included a zombie knife in Newham, hunter knives with deadly serrated edges, a machete, other knives found in a park in Hounslow and ordinary kitchen knives.
Commander Stokely, said: “There was a strong link with gangs around knife crime but because of the strong tactics that Trident we have seen a reduction in gang related knife crime uses over the last 18 months to the point now where it is under a quarter of knife crime.”
Police also revealed that intelligence showed that a quarter of the knife crime in London have links to a gang.
Commander Stokely continued by saying: “We are doing everything we can do, all the men and women on the command, to reduce the threats that knives pose.
“The difficulty with knives is that they are so easy to get hold of and everyone, not just the police, has a role to play, whether it is friends, teachers or parents, everyone has a role to play.
“Statistically if you take a knife with you, you are more likely to be stabbed as is the person with you. We are just trying to hammer that message home.”
Figures show that 4,151 people had suffered knife injuries in London in the 12 months to October last year, an average of 11 people being injured in knife attacks each day in London.
A Freedom of Information request show 63 people were killed by knives over the same period. A total of 1,115 people suffered serious injuries.
Latest police figures show a rise of 14 per cent year on year.
