Police operation reveals weapon stash

2:46pm Thursday 29th May 2008

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POLICE combed a Southall estate yesterday as part of a new initiative to stop knife crime.

Twenty-two officers descended on the Windmill Park Estate to carry out the first in a series of weapons sweeps as part of the relaunched Operation Blunt, which aims to cut knife crime.

Officers from the Norwood Green Safer Neighbourhood Team searched bushes and bin stores and turned up 25 dangerous weapons including a pitchfork, metal poles, a car jack, a screwdriver, a saw and wooden stakes.

Inspector John Carroll, who is responsible for community policing in Southall, said: "These weapons sweeps are designed to address concerns residents have about young people becoming the victims of weapon-enabled offending.

"The previous Operation Blunt focussed on people carrying weapons, while Operation Blunt 2 expands upon that by trying to engage with young people involved in violence.

"We're not targeting one area specifically, these operations are intelligence-led and will be borough-wide. This operation is the beginning and not the end of this initiative."

Windmill Park is the estate where 22-year-old Yasin Abdirahman was stabbed in the head by a gang of youths last September.

Sergeant Andy Storr, of the Norwood Green Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "Today we've got a clean sweep of the estate, which is being lead by my team.

"I'm sure something like the murder will have a disproportionate effect on people's perceptions of what's going on on the estate.

"Part of the operation today is reassurance, to let people know we are taking it very seriously and are present to try and deter that sort of behaviour from happening again."

"We're looking around the estate to try and deter any youth related violence and anti-social behaviour, but specifically to try and detect any weapons which might be used in any sort of violent behaviour.

"We have intelligence that people hide weapons in bushes, shrubberies, drainpipes and utility cupboards, which can be opened for ready use in case of any violent behaviour between youths and gangs."

However, Sergeant Storr claimed youngsters were being forced to hide their weapons because of successful police stop and search tactics.

He said: "Youths are very wary of being stopped and searched and don't want to be caught in possession of these items, and one way they can get round that is to leave them in places they have ready access to them.

"It's being carried out in response to public perception of crime, whereas the facts don't necessarily bear this out, with gun crime, youth crime and knife crime all down in Ealing."