Almost 300 knives and bladed weapons taken off streets of South Yorkshire in one month

Almost 300 knives and bladed weapons have been recovered from the streets of South Yorkshire in June, a police force has said.

South Yorkshire Police said its officers have been conducting dedicated operations to seize the weapons.

The force said these included high-visibility and plain-clothed patrols in "hotspot" areas, warrants and land sweeps in known areas where weapons are stashed.

Officers have also delivered 'cease and desist' letters to recipients of knives which have been intercepted by UK Border Force.

In total, 233 knives were recovered through targeted activities from knife surrender bins, in addition to 15 machetes, 26 axes and 18 swords, totalling 292 items.

Supt David Cowley, who is the force lead for knife crime, said: "Unfortunately, we have seen some recent incidents where people have sadly died or were seriously injured as a result of knife crime.

"This is not acceptable. These incidents have left family's grieving and communities rightly shaken-up.

"Please be assured, we are working together with our partners to reduce these incidents and make the streets of South Yorkshire safe for everyone to enjoy."

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