Test purchases of knives in Wyre welcomed - but a few stores fail test

Some of the knives taken off youths in Wyre previously

While the majority of stores passed the test by refusing to sell the knives, "a few" failed.

The minority of stores that were prepared to sell knives will be tested again, say police.

The stores which failed have not been named.

Although the latest statistics appear to show that knife crime has fallen, it is higher than it was 10 years ago and there is great public concern about this kind of offending.

The Ben Kinsella Trust, set up by the family of knife victim Ben Kinsella, says there has been a 15 per cent decrease in knife crime in England and Wales on the previous 12 months to March 2021,.

The statistic also show that knife crime has now fallen for four quarters in a row.

However, police in England and Wales still recorded 221 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in the 12 months to March 2021, and knife crime has continued to occur across the Fylde coast this year.

Last month a joke shop in South Shore was found to be selling Rambo-style knives/

Efforts to reduce knife possession further are ongoing and on the Fleetwood Area Police Facebook page, residents who posted were broadly in favour of police using the "test purchase" method to test stores.

One visitor to the Facebook page stated: "Very good idea Fleetwood Area Police, completely agree with using underage volunteers to help tackle knife crime.

"Keep up the good work."

However, others considered that the police were too lenient on the stores that failed and suggested they should be shut down.

One said: "Don't re-test them! Ban them from selling those lines."

Another stated: "Knives should be banned. Full stop. You can easily cut things up with a butter knife, there's no need for big sharp knives."