FOLLOWING a recent spate of knife-related robberies and stabbings Bromsgrove police have started a week of action.

Operation Sceptre aims to increase awareness about the dangers of carrying knives and how the police are keeping them off the streets.

Nationally, incidents involving knives have risen.

These incidents relate heavily to either assaults to cause injury or serious harm or robberies.

Local police have said that the Bromsgrove area does not have "a big knife crime" problem.

However, in the last few weeks there have been several incidents including robberies and people being threatening with a knife, as well as reports of gangs roaming the town's streets and parks.

These are due, in part, say police, to people coming from outside of the area on trains.

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Speaking to the Advertiser at the launch of the operation, at Bromsgrove Railway station earlier today, PCSO James Sarker said Bromsgrove is a safe place to live, despite the recent surge in knife-related incidents.

"Operation Sceptre is the police's response to those incidents, and to knife crime," he said.

"One of things we're doing is targeting the station. We'll be talking to people, gathering intel, and looking for people that are known to us.

"We've had incidents in the past where we know people travel from the Birmingham area to come here. They specifically target Bromsgrove."

He added: "Plus it's about reassurance, showing our faces in the community. People like seeing police officers out and about."

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Local officers were joined by British Transport Police and spoke to people on the platforms as well as hand out information leaflets.

As well as the Bromsgrove launch similar operations were being held in Redditch and will be held in Kidderminster tomorrow.

Operation Sceptre is a national campaign which takes place twice a year, supporting the work police carry out all year round to ensure residents are safe from knife crime in their communities.

The campaign comprises a mix of targeted operational and educational activities to remove unwanted knives off the streets of Bromsgrove, and to reassure young people they are safer not carrying knives and walking away from harm.