Zombie knives, army knives and axes, were among the weapons seized during a national week of action to tackle knife crime.

In total, 251 weapons have been removed from the streets of Teesside during the clampdown by Cleveland Police last month.

Eleven bladed weapons were seized during arrests and stop searches, whilst 240 were surrendered to amnesty bins during Operation Sceptre.

Acting Detective Inspector Sarah Beadle, who was leading the Operation, said: “It’s a great result for these weapons to be taken from our streets, where they could have caused serious harm.

“The patrols of violence hotspots are carried out on a regular basis, to ensure that officers are targeting the right people in the right places to tackle violent crime.

The Northern Echo: One of the knives seized by Cleveland PoliceOne of the knives seized by Cleveland Police (Image: Cleveland Police)

“Throughout the year, we have specially trained officers carrying out youth engagement in schools across Cleveland, to ensure that young people are aware of the dangers and consequences of knife related crime.

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“There is much more to be done to tackle the issue, but with the help and support of the public we will do everything we can to prevent young people from carrying knives and weapons.”

Officers made 361 arrests across the week, 124 stop searches were carried out and seven people were charged with possession of a bladed article.

PC Geoff Coggin, PCSO Eric Barrett and PCSO Geoff Illingworth also delivered talks and engagement sessions to primary and secondary schools across the Cleveland area, where they discussed the dangers and consequences of knife related crime to hundreds of pupils.

The Northern Echo continues to campaign to end the scourge of knife-crime and has brought together its Knife Crime Taskforce to encourage discussion and collaboration on the topic.