Massive increase in schoolchildren found with weapons at West Midlands schools

There were 64 children caught with a knife or other offensive weapons in 2015, up from 18 in 2013, according to figures released by police.

Of those caught last year, one was only nine-years-old. A further two 10-year-olds were found with one of the weapons.

A child took a hammer to school in 2015, while another was caught with a screwdriver in 2014.

There were 15 kitchen knives recovered in 2015 and 14 a year before.

Another pupil had a ball bearing gun at school last year and there were four knuckle dusters found last year, in comparison to two in 2014 and one in 2013.

West Midlands schools saw a massive 255 per cent increase from 2013 to 2015 of weapons being found on pupils.

In November 2015 alone, 13 children were caught with them, a Freedom of Information request from West Midlands Police showed.

In March this year the Express and Star reported how an 11-year-old boy was stabbed in the leg at Moseley Park School in Wolverhampton.

But executive headteacher Georgetta Holloway said it was an "isolated incident".

Police said the boy was injured after he was injured with a blade taken from a pencil sharpener.

Two months earlier police were told of a fight at St Edmund's Catholic Academy in the city, during which a boy was said to have a small kitchen knife.

Earlier this year West Midlands Police launched a campaign urging parents of teenage boys to be aware that their sons could be carrying knifes.

Launched in February their Either Way He's Not Coming Home campaign focused that anyone carrying a knife is running a risk of being sent to prison, badly injured or even killed.

Posters were put up across the region, including one showing a mother at her son's funeral after he was killed as part of knife crime.

And the force's lead for knife crime Detective Chief Inspector Ian Parnell said: "During the last decade we have worked hard on campaigns and operations to reduce knife crime across the West Midlands.

"Crimes involving knives destroys lives and there is never any excuse to carry a weapon - whether it's at a school or any other public place.

"As part of our educational campaigns we have ploughed resources into telling youngsters about the dangers of and consequences of carrying a knife.

"Educational packages are delivered at schools in this region from Years 5 and 6 and our hard-hitting presentation deglamourising gang culture has reached in excess of 50,000 students across the force area.

"It is important to stress the responsibility for tackling knife crime sits with all of us - police officers, parents, teachers, licensees, friends - and it is vital we all work together to change behaviours and continue to stop young people carrying these potentially deadly weapons."