Crackdown on knives

Police said 25 men were stopped and searched by police in Wellingborough town centre at the weekend as part of an effort to cut down on the carrying of knives in public.

Fifteen were stopped on Friday evening and a 16-year-old local youth was arrested in possession of a knife.

He was taken into custody at Wellingborough Police Station and later cautioned in connection with carrying a bladed weapon in a public place. The knife was confiscated and will now be destroyed.

A further ten people were stopped on Saturday night, but no knives were found, police said.

Bogus callers pose as water workers

Police are looking for two men who claimed to be from the water board when they carried out a distraction burglary in Fengate Close, Northampton.

The men called at the home of an 82-year-old man on Thursday afternoon saying they had come to fix the pipes.

One of them then held the victim down in a chair while the other searched the property. They left with a sum of cash.

The offenders were both white with short dark hair. One was about 6ft tall and wore a dark suit and a tee-shirt. The second man was shorter, around 5ft 6in tall, with a dark complexion and stubble on his face.

Police in Northampton warned people that callers should be kept outdoors if they are not expected.

Stop Means Stop campaign

A campaign is being launched to crackdown on motorists who fail to stop at school crossing patrols.

Northamptonshire County Council's Stop Means Stop campaign follows reports of abusive language and threats of physical violence to school crossing patrol workers.

As part of the campaign - which is being launched on Monday - parents and motorists will be asked to display campaign stickers in their cars.

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesman said: "Many drivers think they should stop for a school crossing patrol as a matter of courtesy, but in fact they are legally bound to stop."