POLICE in Redditch have had a knife arch in McDonald's - kicking off a week of action to prevent knife crime.

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 Redditch area does not have a big knife crime problem.

Officers were asking people to step through the arch and speaking to people as well as handing out information leaflets.

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Redditch Neighbourhood Team were also running an operation at Redditch railway station.

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.