Police Find Make-Shift Knives At Two Birmingham Schools

22 January 2016, 17:19 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Police have taken make-shift knives off two school children in Birmingham.

Officers say the pencil sharpener blades attached to highlighters were found by teachers in two different schools, who called in police.

One of the children involved was just 12 years old.

Inspector Beth Bridges added: “These appear to be isolated offences at two unconnected schools in the Birmingham area and I want to reassure people that this isn’t something that we’re seeing on a daily basis.

“We would stress that the responsibility for educating young people about knife crime sits with all of us - police officers, parents, teachers and friends. We encourage parents to speak with their children about the dangers and consequences of carrying weapons, and be vigilant.

“Schools are some of the safest public places across the region and teachers are highly trained - in two of these cases teachers have been very proactive in identifying these items and confiscating them from students and informing the police to enable interventions to take place. 

“Unfortunately these make-shift items have been seen elsewhere in the country in the past and we want to send a strong message that it is illegal to carry such weapons."