A KNIFE was found within five minutes of police cadets beginning a weapons sweep in a Coventry park with a children’s play area.
Police say another knife was then discovered along with blunt objects, needles, sharp items and other things which could have caused harm.
The unit of police cadets from Coventry conducted the sweep in Edgewick Park as part of the ongoing effort by the police to combat knife crime.
It was undertaken the day the Knife Angel sculpture left Coventry and headed to Birmingham.
The sweep, conducted by the cadets under close supervision by police officers from Foleshill Neighbourhood Team, involved the unit searching the park for knives and other weapons which may have been stashed or discarded in the area.
The cadets trawled the park and any weapons which were found were recovered by the supervising officers.
The young people did not handle any knife or dangerous item they found.
Ahead of the trawl, Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: “It is excellent to see our cadets getting stuck into tackling knife crime in Coventry.
“When I re-introduced police cadets back to the West Midlands the intention was to always have them out in their communities and making a difference.
“Tackling knife crime is the top priority for the police at the moment and having the additional assistance from the cadets to get weapons off the streets and in the possession of the police where they can no longer cause harm is what the scheme is all about.
“This is young people taking a stand and sending a message: that knife crime won’t be tolerated in the West Midlands.”
He added: “The Knife Angel, as it leaves Coventry and moves onto Birmingham, is already leaving an impact on the city.
“The angel has turned symbols of violence into a symbol of peace.”
Chief superintendent Mike O’Hara, commander of Coventry Neighbourhood Police Unit, said: “Knife crime has a devastating impact on families and communities, so to see our young cadets getting involved in such a way is really heartening.
“The event helps to raise their awareness and understanding of what knife crime really means, while it serves as a reminder to others that carrying a knife is both dangerous and illegal.”
The Foleshill Policing Team says it has had recent success in recovering weapons from Edgewick Park are now ensuring that the local cadet unit is involved.
