Knife crime unit arrests 57 and seizes weapons

A specialist knife crime unit arrested 57 people and seized 26 weapons in December, West Midlands Police have said.

Project Guardian Taskforce operates across Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

In December, 372 stop searches were carried out, and of the 57 arrests, 22 were made by the Birmingham teams, 12 in Coventry and Solihull, and 23 by teams in the western part of the force area.

Sgt Kate Jeffries from the taskforce said: "Every knife seized is potentially a life saved. And these knives are the reason why we need to continue to carry out stop and searches."

She added: "Month after month, the results continue the momentum of the team, making significant arrests and seizures."

In November the force said the Home Office was funding the creation of a fifth team to cover the Black Country.

The taskforce is made up of 50 officers who carry out plain-clothed operations, as well as high-visibility patrols, and act on information and monitor hotspot areas, the force said.

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