A week-long operation to reduce violent crime has been launched by West Yorkshire police this week.
The force is joining others across the country in a project, aiming to combat the rising incidents of knife crime and robbery across the nation.
The scheme has been called ‘Operation Spectre and Calibre’ and will run from November 13 to November 19.
It will see officers target violent offenders, track down those wanted for robbery, patrol ‘hot spots’ for knife violence and prioritise knife crime prevention in schools.
Chief Inspector at West Yorkshire Police, James Kitchen, said: “Serious offences involving young people in particular are shocking and rightly raise concerns amongst residents.
“Strong enforcement work continues at all levels to seize weapons and prosecute those who carry them, and we welcome newly announced changes in legislation banning more kinds of bladed weapons.”
Knife sweeps will be conducted in popular areas and knife arches will also be put in place in a number of transport hubs, including Leeds, Wakefield and Dewsbury bus stations.
The week-long operation comes alongside ‘Operation Jemlock’ which was established in 2019 and has seen West Yorkshire Police recover 297 weapons and make 1190 arrests so far in 2023.
Director of the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Partnership, Det Ch Supt Lee Berry, said: “Operations Spectre and Calibre complement the significant amount of work, which remains ongoing to prevent knife crime and violent offending.
“A key part of this is changing attitudes and behaviours around carrying weapons, as well as highlighting the tragic consequences of doing so.”