Police unveil anti-violence plaques that are cut above the norm

Published on Wednesday 1 July 2009 21:59

A PLAQUE made from thousands of weapons seized by police was unveiled yesterday.

Machetes, samurai swords and a variety of knives are just a few of the weapons smelted to make steel castings.

The first plaque was unveiled at police headquarters in Glasgow and symbolises the force's campaign against violence. A number have been made and will be sent to divisions throughout the Strathclyde Police 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 this year. The Gangs Task Force has arrested about 1,500 people since March, and this month 129 arrests were made for crimes such as gang fighting, knife possession and posting photographs with knives and weapons on social networking sites, such as Bebo and YouTube.

Det Chief Superintendent Campbell Corrigan said: "In the last few years we have taken thousands of knives, bladed instruments and other weapons off the streets of Strathclyde. Whether the weapons have been handed in to us voluntarily, seized as a result of stop and searches, or have been recovered in connection with violent crimes – they are now no longer in the wrong hands.

"These plaques symbolise our commitment to tackling violence and those who choose to commit crimes using dangerous weapons.

"Our goal is to make our communities safer places to live, and the point of today is to highlight to the public that we are continuously working to achieve this."