 Strathclyde is the first force in Scotland to use the detectors |
Police have seized eight offensive weapons using hand-held metal detectors in the first weekend of a blitz on knife crime. Strathclyde Police is the first force in Scotland and only the second in the UK to use the devices.
They helped police recover weapons including two knives, two metal poles, a wheel brace, a corkscrew and two belts with metal buckles.
The metal detectors alerted one officer to a lock knife hidden in a man's shoe.
Officers made the find after searching the 25-year-old in Oswald Street on Saturday evening. A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.
'Not be tolerated'
At the weekend, 46 people were searched and 88 people were arrested in Glasgow city centre, mainly for acts of disorder, said police.
Strathclyde Police divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Louis Munn, said the devices would help make the city centre safe for shoppers and revellers.
He said: "Obviously it is still very early days, however, the low number of weapons recovered may indicate that these detectors are acting as a deterrent.
"I'm confident we're getting the message across that carrying offensive weapons will not be tolerated in Glasgow city centre and your chances of getting caught are extremely high."
The campaign follows the recent Take the Glass out of Glasgow campaign, which encouraged nightclubs to switch from glass to plastic bottles and tumblers.
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