Schools yield deadly arsenal

CHIEF Supt Caroline Ball with the weapons found in Oldham’s secondary schools

THREE knives, a cosh, four BB guns, a cap gun and a multi-tool knife — these weapons were all found in Oldham secondary schools.

The police revealed the cache after a day-long initiative against violent crime, last Friday.

And the National Union of Teachers (NUT) is now warning that if the Government does not make the problem of knife and gun crime in schools a priority, pupils could be seriously injured or even killed in the classroom.

Oldham representative Tony Harrison said: “I’m not at all surprised to discover that weapons have been found in schools in Oldham.

“It’s a growing problem across the country and probably the biggest issue facing teachers today.

“Pupils often take weapons into schools for protection, but this only makes them more vulnerable to attack. Cracking this problem is not about demonising young people, it’s about educating them.”

NUT representatives will be meeting Councillor Kay Knox, cabinet member for children, young people and families, to discuss the issue later this week.

Chief Supt Caroline Ball said: “We cannot ignore the fact that guns and knives are an issue across the country, but it is important to remember that it is a small minority of pupils who get involved in this type of crime.

“We regularly work with the schools to challenge the behaviour of those pupils, and then support them in staying on the right side of the law.”

Executive director of children, young people and families, Janet Donaldson, said: “Oldham’s schools have an excellent record in ensuring young people are aware of the dangers of carrying weapons and will always take steps to remove property from pupils where it is felt to be inappropriate.”

Officers collected part of the weapons cache as part of Operation Hydrofoil, a day-long initiative against violent crime.

In a day which saw 23 arrests across the borough, police used metal detectors to check town-centre revellers for weapons and boarded buses to seek out troublemakers.

Officers also joined forces with trading standards to visit shops to check for the illegal sale of alcohol and knives to under-18s.

l Oldham’s youth liaison team has created a DVD containing a section on gun and knife crime and gang culture which will be shown to Year 6 pupils in primary schools.

l Ben Kinsella (16), who was killed at the weekend, was the 17th teenager to be be stabbed to death in London this year.