AS part of Operation Sceptre, North Tyneside Police Cadets has also been working hard to raise awareness of the consequences which come with carrying a weapon.

A team of four police cadets were sent out to shops across North Tyneside and Northumberland to carry out a series of test purchases supported by plain clothes police officers.

The visits were aimed at checking whether retailers were enforcing the ‘no id no knife’ and ‘Challenge 25’ policy, ensuring compliance with the relevant legislation in place to protect young people from serious harm.

Out of the 18 premises visited, 15 correctly identified the underage volunteers and refused the sale. Only three failed to ask the 16-year-old cadets for any identification.

Now, Northumbria Police has hailed the cadets’ contribution as vital in helping the force to raise awareness of knife crime in all areas.

A police spokesman said: “This was a very positive operation which gave us a great opportunity to engage and educate retailers about what can happen if just one knife falls into the wrong pair of hands.

“It’s great to see so many shops taking positive action and putting the right measures in place to keep people safe.”

The test purchases were just one of a series of other activities carried out last week as part of the initiative in the Northumbria Police area.