A NATIONWIDE blitz on knife crime will be launched by police forces across the country this week amid a slew of fatal stabbings.
All forces in England and Wales are taking part in the seven-day crackdown, codenamed Operation Sceptre, which begins on Monday.
Officers will use surrender bins, their stop-and-search powers, will carry out weapons sweeps and target habitual blade carriers in a bid to curb the scourge.
Knife crime has recently been under the spotlight following a string of fatal stabbings on Britain’s streets – with teenagers featuring prominently among the victims.
Jodie Chesney, 17, was knifed in the back as she played music with friends near a children’s playground in Harold Hill, east London, on March 1.
The next day Yousef Makki, also 17, was stabbed to death in the village of Hale Barns, near Altrincham in Greater Manchester.
And on Thursday 17-year-old Ayub Hassan was knifed in West Kensington, London, before being pronounced dead in hospital.
