Yahoo News Child, four, among thousands caught carrying weapons at school
A child as young as four is among thousands who have been caught carrying weapons into school, an investigation has found.
Zombie knives, meat cleavers and swords were some of the blades discovered in educational settings, a Freedom of Information Act request revealed.
The investigation by PA also uncovered that an average of five weapons-related incidents take place in schools across the UK on a daily basis.
The figures come at a time of growing concern about knife crime in society, with police-recorded incidents at the highest level since current records began.
Home Office figures show that 43,516 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument were recorded by forces in England and Wales in 2018/19. The figures exclude Greater Manchester.
This was up eight per cent on the previous 12 months and the highest number since comparable figures started to be collected in 2010/11.
Lucy Martindale, a youth worker from south London who lost 11 family and friends to violent crime during a seven-year period, said: "I'm afraid it's a competition for who has got the biggest knife.
"I think there needs to be more positive role models for young people, to stop them being brainwashed by gangs to carry knives.
"We hear the same things over and over, people saying 'lessons need to be learned', and I get a lot of messages from concerned mums asking for help with their sons.
"The parents are seeking help for themselves and their kids - how, as a parent, can you lock your child in the house for 24 hours because you are worried what they might do? You can't."
For the first time in London, innovative workshops about youth violence are being delivered to primary school children in east London to help tackle the trend of knife carrying.
Teachers and police have joined forces to create an education pilot programme that "goes further" than the national curriculum, while still being sensitive enough not to frighten the young children listening to it.
Insp Lee Canter of the Safer Neighbourhood Team said tackling serious youth violence and stopping children from carrying knives is a priority for the Met Police.
"We are committed to preventing children from being exploited by county line drug-dealing gangs," he said.
"Hainault Safer Neighbourhood officers have been working closely with the schools across Hainault and the surrounding areas in partnership with Redbridge Council to deliver bespoke inputs to Redbridge students."
Insp Canter said ward officers are aware that gangs have attempted to groom young pupils and intervention while children are still at primary school is vital as it is "more difficult" once they are older.
He explained that parents at the primary schools have been consulted about the scheme and the majority are in favour of it.
"This is an extremely challenging subject to deliver to such young students and officers are mindful not to traumatise them," he added.
"To prevent this, the talks are interactive and the knowledge levels of the students are gauged, which then ignites a conversation.
"Any concerns raised during these talks are dealt with by the school safeguarding officers who are present."
Topics spoken about include carrying knives, recruitment into street gangs, county line drug dealing, social media and drill music produced by gangs.
Teachers in the primary pilot released a joint statement about the scheme aimed at pupils from Year 4 and up.
"We know that some of our children are exposed to issues relating to gangs and knife crime," they said.
"We cannot shy away from these issues and must educate children and their families to ensure their safety and equip them for their future.
"We thank the police for their proactive work for supporting us in educating our communities in these difficult subjects."
A Department for Education spokesman said: "Schools should be safe and disciplined environments for both pupils and teachers.
"We recently announced a £10 million investment to establish behaviour hubs so that schools with a track record of effectively managing pupils' behaviour can share what works with schools that need it.
"We have strengthened teachers' powers so they can take action if they suspect a pupil has brought a prohibited item, including knives, into schools."
Police forces with age-specific data showed fewer than 100 incidents involved people over 18.
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