Police seize over 150 deadly weapons in Inverclyde

Figures obtained by the Telegraph using Freedom of Information laws show the huge haul was gathered between December 2020 and December 2021, with a total of 160 weapons confiscated across the district.

Police say the number of dangerous weapons taken off the streets in Inverclyde over the past year shows their commitment to tackling violent crime and the level of support they have from the public.

Chief Inspector Paul Cameron said: "The number of dangerous weapons taken off the streets of Inverclyde over this past year is testament to the dedication of our officers and the overwhelming support of the public.

"Every weapon has the potential to cause unthinkable harm.

"To have 160 fewer goes a long way towards keeping local residents safe."

Mr Cameron says there will be no let up in the work of his officers to rid the streets of potentially lethal implements.

He said: "Inverclyde Police will continue to take positive action to identify and disrupt those intent on committing acts of violence or anti-social behaviour in our communities."

Almost half of the weapons taken off the streets were a form of knife.

Of the 79 seized, 17 were kitchen blades, with Stanley, lockback and butterfly knives were also found.

Five machetes, two axes and a samurai sword were among the large bladed weapons that officers seized.

May last year saw the highest number of confiscations, with the police seizing 25 weapons.

Conservative MSP Jamie Greene praised the diligence of local officers but also called for stiffer sentences to deter people from carrying dangerous weapons in the first place.

Mr Greene - shadow cabinet secretary for justice - said: “We owe a debt of gratitude to police officers in Inverclyde and across Scotland, who work tirelessly to rid our streets of dangerous weapons.

“But they’re doing so with one arm tied behind their back by the SNP government.

“The Scottish Police Federation have begged the SNP for greater resources to tackle crime – only to be met with a real-terms cut to Police Scotland’s capital budget.

“The SNP have also watered down the deterrents for offenders, meaning people caught with a deadly weapon can be back on our streets after serving only half their sentence - and without a parole hearing."

A government spokesperson pointed to the long-term fall in recorded violent crime since 2006/07 and said that it was investing in violence reduction programmes across the country.

They added: “Any incident of knife crime is one too many, and while it is for the independent court to sentence in any given case, the Scottish Government provided additional powers in 2016 for courts to deal with knife carrying.

“All main measures of violence, including knife crime, indicate a long-term fall in Scotland – with recorded violent crime down 43 per cent since 2006/07 and crimes of handling offensive weapons down by 58 per cent over the same period.

“The total budget for policing in 2022-23 is almost £1.4 billion, including an additional £40.5m increase in resource funding and a further £6.6m to mitigate the impact of Covid on the policing budget.

“We have invested more than £23 million since 2008 in violence reduction programmes across Scotland, including over £16 million to support the work of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and more than £4 million to No Knives, Better Lives.”