Sheffield knife crime: 350 weapons seized from one property in probe into knives being sold to teens online

Over 350 knives, axes and swords were reportedly seized from a single property in Sheffield in an investigation into weapons being sold to teenagers online.

Following reports of blades being peddled to young people through the internet, officers executed a warrant for a property in the Parson Cross area in early May.

Sheffield North East Neighbourhood Policing Team claim when premises were searched, a large quantity of over 350 knives including throwing knives, axes and swords were found. Two individuals have been arrested and enquiries are continuing. The haul added to a total of over 500 weapons being taken off the streets in May by South Yorkshire Police through warrants and ‘boots on the ground’ patrols.

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It includes Operation Sceptre between May 13 - 19, a national week of policing dedicated to taking knives off the streets.

A total of 83 arrests were made, with 168 stop searches completed, 19 search warrants and 25 open land searches, with plain-clothed officers being deployed in town and city centres.

Detective Superintendent David Cowley, force lead for violent crime, said: “We are committed to bringing these outright dangerous and appalling weapons off our streets, and Sceptre allows us to show our public the level of this dedication to keep them safe to enjoy our towns and cities without fear.”

Sheffield North East NPT officers are also urging any parents who think their child has purchased a knife online to speak to officers.

Detective Supt Cowley said: “We have tragically seen the impact knife crime causes on our communities too many times. Young lives have been lost leaving families and friends devastated. This is not acceptable and is something we are committed to change in conjunction with partner agencies.

“This is why we take education opportunities with younger generations extremely seriously. We are starting to see a positive impact of this, with numbers of those under the age of 25 being admitted to hospital with knife wounds decreasing.”