MORE than 20 knives were seized by West Yorkshire Police as part of a national operation.

The seizures were made during Operation Sceptre, launched to tackle knife crime.

Across West Yorkshire, officers recovered knives and other weapons which had been concealed in public areas.

School visits took place to educate young people about the dangers of carrying a knife.

And test purchases were carried out to check that retailers were not selling knives to under-18s. All those tested passed.

Chief Inspector James Kitchen – the lead on West Yorkshire’s own Operation Jemlock, which tackles violence and knife crime – said:

"Through Operation Jemlock we are making a real difference in the communities of West Yorkshire.

"Operation Sceptre brought a nationwide focus to what we do every week to keep people safe.

"Enforcement work such as weapons sweeps is important. I am pleased that we removed a number of knives from West Yorkshire’s streets. These are potentially-deadly weapons that can now no longer be used to harm others.

"We targeted our operational work in key areas, carrying out weapons sweeps in parks and open spaces to make them safer.

"Of equal importance, however, was the educational work that took place. If young people know and understand the dangers of carrying a knife or associating with people who do, then we can help to make a difference.

"I was particularly pleased to see that not a single retailer sold a knife to our under-age test purchasers."

Since Operation Jemlock began in April, 2019, over 5,500 arrests have been made and more than 700 weapons seized.

During that period, knife crime has fallen by ten per cent and robbery by 20 per cent.

In addition to the work of Operation Jemlock, there is a violence reduction unit.

It funds various projects across all districts of West Yorkshire to tackle – and raise awareness of – serious violent crime.

Chief Insp Kitchen added: "It has a particular emphasis on collaboration, encouraging organisations to work together to prevent violence and reduce the harmful impacts by strengthening partnerships, working with communities and developing the understanding of the causes to make a lasting difference."