Police have recovered 180 knives and arrested 28 people as part of an ongoing prevention campaign.

Operation Spectre has a national week of action which went from Monday, May 15 to Sunday, May 21 across Greater Manchester.

During this, they increased focus on knife crime and violence reduction through education, engagement and enforcement.

The operation takes place twice a year.

During the week police used knife arches, executed warrants, went on high visibility patrols, did 202 weapon sweeps and visited 44 people suspected of carrying knives.

There were 122 knives recovered from Forever Amnesty bins, where people can surrender a weapon.

There were also 55 community meetings featuring 400 participants and 85 school engagements.

Officers conducted 204 stop searches and made 26 arrests.

There were eight arrests which were knife related and 12 blades were recovered.

With the support of Trading Standards, officers also made 163 visits to local retailers, with two outlets found to have been selling knives to underage children. 

They also had 230 leaflet drops.

Sergeant Lisa Quinn, from GMP’s serious violent crime programme, welcomed the results.

She said: “Our work across Greater Manchester has resulted in another successful set of Op Sceptre results. We are proactively tackling knife crime by getting out in our communities and raising awareness of the dangers of carrying a knife.

“A range of tactics were implemented throughout the week, including high visibility walkarounds, knife arches and conducting search warrants that provided the public with clear, visible policing in tackling such a serious issue that is a blot on the Greater Manchester area.

“We remain committed to tackling knife crime and we will continue our work with partners from the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit around educating youngsters to prevent them from picking up a knife in the first place, making it clear that carrying a knife is illegal and does not make you safer because it can be used against you."

“We all have a part to play in tackling knife crime in our communities. I encourage members of the public to continue to provide us with any information or intelligence that you may have, as this supports the work that GMP and our partners undertake in our fight against knife crime and allows us to take the necessary action to minimise the devastating impact it can have on our communities. Remember, speaking out could save a life.”