Over one weekend in Strathclyde we seized 68 offensive weapons, a frankly appalling figure

Chief Constable John Orr

Speaking as chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers' crime standing committee, Mr Orr said that forces had collected more than 900 weapons in the first three months of the campaign.

Figures showed that half of all weapons seized were knives and one in five weapons were held by children under 16.

A total of 31,660 people were searched, and 851 people reported for possession of knives and other offensive weapons.

There were 972 arrests for violent crimes.

Mr Orr said: "The results that I am releasing today fully justify the decision to implement such a campaign.

John Orr: Warning to "mindless minority"

"It is what the public have been asking for and they can see the results for themselves.

"Over one weekend in Strathclyde we seized 68 offensive weapons, a frankly appalling figure and double what we would normally expect to find.

"To the mindless minority who continue to endanger our communities I want to make this clear: We are not going to go away.

"My fellow chief officers are determined to rid society of this evil culture and we are backed by every police officer in the country."

Parents alerted

Figures from Lothian and Borders show 115 weapons have been taken off the streets since October.

Mr Orr also warned parents to be on the alert as to items their children carry which may contain knives or sharp blades.

"To parents who think that they are being diligent in checking the actions of their youngsters I would say be aware of small innocent looking items such as key-rings which have been adapted to conceal blades."

Mr Orr said he was also pleased by an increase in the number of calls to Crimestoppers about violent crime after the hotline received 181 calls, 25% more than during the same period last year.