The hand-held detectors have already had limited use

The Scottish Executive said it was making cash available to buy 1,000 hand-held "wand" metal detectors to frisk youngsters for knives.

The wands will be used to check people in the streets or at pubs and clubs, especially in the west of Scotland.

The move comes in the run-up to a national knife amnesty, which begins on 24 May and lasts for one month.

Hand-held wands have already been used to a limited extent in the Strathclyde force area.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said: "I have decided that we want to see more use of these.

"We have therefore decided to put more money, about �100,000, into ensuring that we can get 1,000 of these hand-held metal detectors for police to use when they are out and about in the kind of areas where knives are a problem."

The detectors are expected to come into use in the summer.