Hundreds of people have been arrested as police seize weapons during their tackling of serious and violent criminals.
Open land searches, stop searches and community intelligence have led also helped target knife crime across Merseyside.
In the last week alone, Merseyside Police officers have been taking part in Operation Sceptre, a national campaign to take knives off the streets, which has led to the arrest of dozens of people.
During the seven day operation, officers carried out 62 open land searches recovering five knives and one bladed article.
They also carried out 56 stop searches recovering seven knives, three offensive weapons and one bladed article.
These searches led to the arrest of 23 people, eight of which were detained specifically in relation to knife crime.
In addition to this, officers also located a cannabis farm in Wallasey worth around £600,000 and enquiries are ongoing to identify the owners.
Since July 2019 police have arrested 449 people for knife crime offences, seized 300 knives and 44 bladed articles from the public and have also recovered 136 knives and 17 bladed articles from open land searches.
They have also seized 359 knives during searches of various addresses and had 275 knives handed in by members of the public.
In a statement detailing the success of the operation, Chief Inspector Andy Creer said: “Operation Sceptre gives us the chance to stand alongside all other forces and collectively show our commitment to tackling knife crime.
“Our policing activity is about locating those committing crime, carrying weapons, exploiting others and making life a misery for our law-abiding communities.
“We have seen a number of people injured and sadly killed as a result of knife crime.
"Families and friends have been left behind and those responsible have also lost their freedom.
“People should never carry knives, this doesn’t keep you safe and can often be used against you.
“In the current climate where the Merseyside public feel uncertain, we will continue using increased visible policing to reassure our communities, gain intelligence and disrupt criminal activity.
“Therefore, I’d like to ask the public to continue supporting us and to come forward with information.”
In their plan for the future, Merseyside Police have stated their intention to use new powers against those involved in knife crime.
A spokesperson for the force said:"Going forward, officers hope to use ‘Serious Violence Reduction Orders’ against habitual knife crime offenders.
"This will mean that officers have the power to stop and search specific people anywhere, anytime.
"In addition to this, a recent change in the offensive weapons act means it is illegal to possess a weapon in your own home.
"This will again ensure weapons are taken out of circulation and our communities are kept safe.
"Young people are also being encouraged to take part in local activities near them and strive for a more positive future than delving into a life of crime."
