Police in Telford have unveiled a hand-worn metal detector – that their officers will soon be using in their efforts to ensure that knife crime remains rare in the town.
Having been trialled by staff from the Local Policing Teams in Wellington, five of these metal detectors have now been purchased thanks to funding provided by Telford’s Safer & Stronger Communities Partnership.
Wellingtonโs Local Policing Inspector Richard Langton said: "Although thankfully knife crime is still relatively rare in the Borough of Telford & Wrekin, Telford Police are absolutely committed to making sure this remains the case. We are determined to keep local residents as safe as we can and I very much hope that this new equipment will help us to reduce the incidents of knife and weapon crime in Telford.
"We are always looking for new ways to reduce crime and the fear of crime in our towns and this new initiative demonstrates that willingness to try new ideas. I would like this initiative to send a clear message to those people who insist on carrying weapons that we have more chance than ever of catching them.โ
Each metal detector – known as the ‘MIT’ – is worn on the hand like a glove and is surprisingly comfortable and easy to use. They can be worn covertly, under a glove and jacket sleeve, or overtly as a deterrent.
Inspector Langton added: "I am really pleased with the feedback we have received when wearing the โMITโ. People have stopped me in the street to talk about it and many young people in particular have shown an interest.
โThe โMITโ not only allows us to thoroughly search anyone that we arrest on arrival at the police station, but for the first time we have the ability to conduct such a search on the street. This is a great stride forward for officer safety and may well help us to locate a concealed weapon without the need for a more intrusive search.
โThe units are so sensitive that they can even pick up something as small as a safety pin. If a metal object is detected the โMITโ vibrates silently to alert the user in such a way that the person being searched would be unaware that the object had been detected.
"I would urge those people who are tempted to carry knives and other weapons to think again. It is no excuse to carry a knife for ‘self defence’ and there is a very real chance of having the weapon taken off you and used against you.
โPlease understand that it is a criminal offence to carry any weapon in a public place and you will be arrested and prosecuted. I hope that this new equipment will both deter people from carrying weapons and help us to bring to justice those who do insist on carrying them.โ
