Weapons charges drop

THE number of people caught in possession of an offensive weapon in Lothian and Borders has fallen by nearly a fifth during the last year.

Police figures revealed that officers recorded 987 charges of carrying the weapons in the force area between last April and March.

The figure compares with the total of 1187 for same period in 2008/9, a fall of 17 per cent.

Officers in the Capital have conducted a string of operations aimed at reducing knife crime, including searches on buses and outside nightclubs using metal detectors.