Machetes, zombie knives and baseball bats seized by police in Huddersfield and Halifax

Dangerous weapons have been taken off the streets of Huddersfield and other parts of West Yorkshire during a week of action.

In Huddersfield town centre, police officers seized knives, baseball bats and drugs and made an arrest during two drug dog operations.

And in Halifax, police seized six zombie knives, two machetes and two hatchets, as well as Class A drugs. Two men were arrested for possession with intent to supply drugs and weapons offences.

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Officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Operation Jemlock team attended 25 addresses in Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield last week, working with the UK Border Agency to intercept knives, swords and dusters ordered by residents and being imported in the country.

In Wakefield, police carried out weapons checks in areas where knives may be hidden and tested buy-busts where youths tried to buy knives from the son on behalf of the force.

All 14 retailers visited complied with the legislation and did not serve test shoppers.

Officers in Wakefield and Calderdale also held engagement events to warn residents and young people about the dangers of guns.

Neighborhood police and specialist Jemlock officers have also been active in schools to try and raise awareness among young people about the dangers of knives.

Chief Inspector James Kitchen, from Operation Jemlock, said: “Proactive patrols, arrest operations and other activities… saw officers make more than 80 arrests and carry out sweeps in public areas for discarded and hidden blades, with some dangerous weapons recovered .

“Operations with the UK Border Agency are particularly valuable because, by working closely with them, we can track illegal weapons being brought into the country and prevent these dangerous and illegal items from ever leaving the streets.

“There is no justifiable reason why anyone would want to own a knife or dustbin and we have taken action against people who try to import these products.”

He added: “I want to thank my colleagues and partners in the police for all their support throughout Scepter Week. Results such as the test purchase in Wakefield where every shop we visited complied with the legislation by not selling knives to minors was really encouraging and shows the progress we are making.

“As I said, knife crime has been stable and has started to fall in West Yorkshire and it’s really important that we continue to work in partnership with communities to make the carrying of bladed weapons unacceptable in society.”

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Director of the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP), Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Berry said: “Some excellent results have been achieved in West Yorkshire during the latest Scepter and this work perfectly complements the significant amount of crime prevention work with knives in progress with partners. in communities.

“Nearly 25,000 young people under the age of 24 have been involved in the last year alone through our partner programs.

“This work and the support of communities will be essential in the long term to deter young people from ever wanting to carry weapons of the type officers recovered in this operation.”