A PLAQUE made from thousands of seized machetes, swords and knives has been unveiled at Strathclyde Police headquarters in Glasgow.
A PLAQUE made from thousands of seized machetes, swords and knives has been unveiled at Strathclyde Police headquarters in Glasgow.
The weapons were smelted to make steel castings, symbolising the force's continuing operation entitled Campaign Against Violence.
A number of plaques have been made and will be sent to divisions throughout the force's area.
The campaign was set up in March last year to reduce high levels of violence, disrupt a large network of gangs, remove dangerous weapons from streets and reduce the fear of crime in local communities.
A dedicated unit to target gangs was also set up.
The Gangs Task Force has arrested about 1500 people in the last four months.
Last month 129 people were held for crimes that included gang fighting, knife possession and posting photographs with knives and weapons on internet social networking sites such as Bebo and You Tube.
Since its introduction, youth related complaints have fallen from 10,511 to 7858, representing a 25.2% decrease compared to 2008.
Youth-related disturbances are also down, from 2288 to 1558, a 31.9% fall.
Detective Chief Superintendent Campbell Corrigan said: "In the last few years we have taken thousands of knives, bladed instruments and other weapons off the streets.
"Whether the weapons have been handed to us voluntarily, seized through stop and searches, or have been recovered in connection with violent crimes, they are now no longer in the wrong hands.
"The plaques we have had made symbolise our continuing commitment to tackling violence and those who choose to commit crimes using dangerous weapons."
The Gangs Task Force has also carried out more than 700 bail and curfew checks on offenders and is continuing to make daily checks on a large number.
Mr Corrigan added: "There is no quick fix to this and there are still people who believe they are above the law.
"However, officers will be targeting these people and will use all the powers and resources available to effectively pursue the campaign against violence.
"Our goal is to make our communities safer places to live and the point of the plaque is to highlight to the public we are continuously working to achieve this."
