West Yorkshire Police called to 104 reports of weapons in schools

Police were called to more than 100 reports of young people in possession of weapons at schools in West Yorkshire in the past year.

The youngest suspect was aged seven, according to data from West Yorkshire Police following a Freedom of Information request.

The majority of incidents involved knives or other blades.

West Yorkshire deputy mayor Alison Lowe said it was “imperative” to educate children about the danger of weapons.

There were 104 incidents involving the possession of weapons in schools between September 2022 and September 2023, according to a response to a Freedom of Information request to the force.

All incidents involved suspects under the age of 18, but they may not have been pupils at the school and the incidents may not have taken place within school hours, a police spokesperson said.

The majority of suspects were recorded as children aged 12 or 13.

Some of the incidents remain under police investigation.

Ms Lowe, who oversees policing in West Yorkshire, said: “Educating our young people around the dangers of carrying and using weapons is imperative and I continue to monitor the police’s progress in responding to emerging trends.

“As we have seen in the recent tragic incidents across West Yorkshire, it can have lasting consequences for individuals, families, schools and communities.”

In November, 15-year-old Alfie Lewis was fatally stabbed outside a school in Horsforth in Leeds.

In May, two teenagers were jailed for life for the murder of 15-year-old Khayri McLean, who was stabbed outside North Huddersfield Trust School on 21 September 2022.

West Yorkshire Police launched a dedicated initiative to tackle knife crime and serious violence, called Operation Jemlock, in April 2019.

A spokesperson for the force said there had been “significant reductions in knife crime, especially involving young people,” since the launch of the programme.

Khayri Mclean died after he was stabbed near North Huddersfield Trust School in September 2022

The force also has dedicated safer schools officers who speak to young people at secondary schools across the county about the dangers of carrying a weapon.