 Nearly 70 weapons have been confiscated |
A national operation targeting knife crime on the railways is being extended to cover Leeds. Operation Shield will see walk-through metal detectors, similar to those in airports, at Leeds station to try to deter knife carrying on the railways.
A team of officers in uniform and plain clothed colleagues will arrest anyone caught in possession of weapons.
The detectors are fully portable and can be be moved to areas of "hotspot" crime to target criminals.
104 arrests
The initiative was first piloted in London in February.
The past six weeks have also seen transport police run Operation Shield at stations in the North West and Birmingham.
Within this period more than 10,000 people have passed through the detectors.
Nearly 1,050 people have been searched, 104 people were arrested on crime-related charges and 48 arrested on charges of carrying knives and weapons.
A total of 68 weapons were confiscated and 85 people were also arrested for drugs offences.
Because of its success, Operation Shield will now be rolled out across the north east and the rest of England.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
