Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Friday, 2 May 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 7 May 2008. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 May 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Offensive Weapons

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the use by police forces of the portable metal-detecting knife arches and search wands announced by her Department in February 2008.

Answer: The decision to provide additional search arches and wands was informed by the work of Operation Shield, the British Transport Police's enforcement operation, in which arches and wands are deployed to detect those carrying weapons on the transport network. This on-going operation has shown significant results both in detecting and deterring people from carrying weapons and in enhancing community confidence. Police and other partners consider that the use of such equipment is a valuable tool in law enforcement.We are committed to supplementing further the provision of search equipment, as set out in the Tackling Violence Action Plan, published on 18 February 2008.

Secondary information