The Trident Gang Crime Command (Operation Trident) has warned that criminal gangs are arming themselves with 2ft “Zombie Killer” knives, in what is described as a “worrying new trend”.
The weapons are being displayed by teenage gangs in online videos – and a senior gangs official has told the Evening Standard newspaper that some gang members are carrying the lethal weapons “almost as status symbols”.
Detective Inspector Dan Brown from Operation Trident said:
“I have never seen these large combat knives before – most are coming off the Internet. They are easy to get hold of and cheap.”
He was speaking just days after police officers found a 2ft Zombie killer knife in an alleyway in Hackney, east London.
The knives have a curved and serrated edge for the last few inches of the blade.
Scotland Yard also announced on Friday (17/07/15) its “two strokes” policy on knives, whereby anyone caught more than once with a blade or knife would face a jail term.
The police are using fast, mobile squads to tackle gang crime, including knife crime and firearms offences.
Officers are also visiting the homes of 281 known young offenders in London, of whom 70 are known to belong to gangs.
Over the last three weeks, Operation Trident officers have recovered 13 knives, ten guns and made 79 arrests in connection with gang crime.
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