Schools in Southampton get knife detectors

Schools in Southampton have introduced metal detector wands to uncover knives being carried by pupils.

Eighty-two primary and secondary schools are involved in the Southampton Safe City Partnership project.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families believes it may be the first city in the country to do this.

The scheme is a preventative measure and youngsters will only be searched if teachers suspect they are carrying a knife, Hampshire police said. Head teachers were given the new security powers in the last few weeks.

A spokeswoman from Southampton City Council said: “We have not heard of any other local authority that has introduced these metal detectors en mass.

“Teachers have actually always had the responsibility to search pupils. We wanted to give them the proper equipment to do so. They can decide if they do suspect someone to call the police.”

“There will not be routine searches, only if teachers have a suspicion that pupils might have something,” she added.

Pupils at Bitterne Park School, where knives have never been found on any youngster, will be told about the scanners in special assemblies.

Susan Trigger, head teacher of Bitterne Park School, said: “It is a zero tolerance approach that the school has, and I just see it as an additional help to me to tackle students if I do feel there is a risk presented.

There were only two incident where Southampton school pupils were found with knives last year, the local authority said.