Officers from the Violent Crime Task Force seized 31 knives]
Officers from the Violent Crime Taskforce recovered 30 combat knives, a lock knife and made two arrests after a stop and search in Islington.

At 17:35hrs on Thursday, 10 December, officers were on proactive patrol in the N5 area when they noticed a suspicious male stood on a wall handing several boxes up to another male through a window.

The 16-year-old was searched under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and inside the box they found 15 hunting knives. He was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and taken into police custody where he remains.

Officers then went inside the property he was passing the boxes into and found a further 15 hunting knives in boxes. The 15-year-old male inside the property also had a lock knife in his trousers. He was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and remains in police custody.

The investigation continues.

Sergeant Pete Luciano of the Violent Crime Taskforce said: “The seizure of these 31 weapons will have undoubtedly prevented them from being used in acts of violence and potentially even saved lives.

“Our officers are patrolling areas known for violence and this case proves the value of intelligence led stop and search.

“Reducing serious violence is the Met’s top priority and I hope the community feel reassured we were able to remove these weapons from the streets.”