Children as young as 13 found with knives or drugs in Cheshire
Police say they need to be treated as victims too
We can reveal that children as young as thirteen are being caught carrying knives or drugs in parts of Cheshire.
The force have been “stopping and searching” people based on their own intelligence and surveillance and from information received from concerned members of the public.
In one area of the county over a four-week period, they targeted 85 individuals and they were shocked to find that 66 percent of them were carrying something illegal.
Normally in stop and search operations across the UK police would normally have a 33 percent success rate in finding something.
Acting Chief Constable Janette McCormick believes many of these young people feel they are forced to carry a knife for protection or they are so vulnerable that organised gangs from Greater Manchester or Merseyside are forcing them into criminality, so they need to be treated as victims too.
In Runcorn alone there were 184 knife related incidents reported over a twelve-month period.
Sgt Chris Maddocks says they want to send out a message of re-assurance to local people and the problem is being treated seriously.
He says there are going to be education programmes in local schools to deter young people from carrying knives