A police taskforce has made 61 arrests and seized dozens of weapons during patrols in the West Midlands as part of ongoing efforts to tackle youth violence and knife crime.
The West Midlands Police Guardian Taskforce, which focuses on reducing serious youth violence, carried out patrols across Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, as well as Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, and Wolverhampton throughout May.
A total of 427 stop and searches were carried out, leading to the seizure of 74 weapons, including knives.
Inspector Colin Gallier from the Guardian Taskforce said: "Our teams continue to work incredibly hard to take knives and weapons off the streets.
"Every knife seized is potentially a life saved.
"We work alongside other teams in local policing areas to take action and also warn against the risks of carrying a weapon."
Of the arrests, 26 were made in Birmingham and eight across Coventry and Solihull.
A further 27 arrests were made in the western part of the force area.
The taskforce’s work formed part of Sceptre week, a national week of action focused on reducing knife crime and serious youth violence.
During Sceptre week, police carried out weapons sweeps in parks, made arrests for carrying weapons, and spoke to young people about the dangers of knife crime.
West Midlands Police also carried out test purchasing of knives from retailers.
Inspector Gallier said: "This remains ongoing as we continue our work to reduce incidents."
The force continues to work with the Violence Reduction Partnership to divert young people away from crime.
Officers regularly visit schools to educate pupils about the dangers of knife crime and offer support to deter them from becoming involved in violent or criminal behaviour.
Project Guardian uses both plain-clothed and high-visibility patrols.
