Metal-detecting wands: A game-changer in Merseyside's fight against knife crime

Frontline Merseyside Police officers will be equipped with metal detecting wands to target knife carriers and seize concealed weapons.

140 handheld metal detectors have been distributed to teams in Response and Resolution, Targeted Patrols and the Matrix Road Policing Unit, having been funded by the force through Operation Target – it’s force wide operation to tackle serious and violent crime.

The metal detecting wands will be used to support stop and search powers and take weapons off the streets of Merseyside. It forms part of the force’s approach to prevention, which focuses on reducing crime and harm across Merseyside.

Merseyside has seen a 13% reduction in knife crime and a 9% reduction in serious violence during the financial year to date, along with further reductions in the previous year. Serious violence in ‘hotspot’ areas has also fell, with a 25% reduction in serious violent crime compared to the same period in 2022.

In the last 12 months, Merseyside Police has made 229 arrests for possession of a knife or bladed article offences and seized 1,088 knives from the streets of Merseyside.

The wands will not replace the requirement for a physical search but be used as a screening device available to officers already conducting a lawful and justified physical search of a person following their arrest.

Chief Inspector Colin Dyer, Response and Resolution said: “This significant investment sees 140 metal detecting wands placed in our response vehicles. The wands will support stop and search powers and act as a deterrent to anyone who might carry a knife. We are committed to keeping communities safe and using all the tools in our arsenal to get weapons off our streets.”

Superintendent Phil Mullally, Lead for Serious Violence and Knife Crime added: “There are no circumstances where carrying a knife as a weapon is acceptable. The use of the metal detecting wands are part of our wider work to tackle knife crime and make it more difficult for people to conceal and use weapons in Merseyside.  

“I want to reassure the public that tackling knife crime is a key priority and while both serious violence and knife crime are falling in Merseyside, our work remains ongoing. The use of these wands, alongside Serious Violence Reduction Orders, weapons sweeps, open land searches and the important work of the Violence Reduction Partnership are driving down knife crime and educating people about the dangers of carrying a knife.”

If you have any information about knife crime in your community, please contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC, Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ or call 101. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.