The Knives Are Out In Parliament As Security Confiscates Hundreds Of Dangerous Blades

The knives are out in Parliament, and not just in the political sense.

Visitors to the House of Commons had an astonishing 13 blades confiscated from them every single day in the first three months of 2015.

Cops found some 1,179 knives during security checks between January and March, new figures reveal.

They reportedly included 575 Swiss Army, 299 pen and 127 credit card knives.

Eight knitting needles and 302 pairs of scissors - as well as several craft, kitchen and Stanley knives - were also discovered.

Other items deemed a security risk and seized were 1,091 bike locks and padlocks, five flags, 91 whistles and four laser pens.

Some 78 bottles of alcohol, 66 corkscrews, 19 screwdrivers and 16 spanners were also taken away.

Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrats’ leader in the London Assembly, said it was “good news” that the police were doing “such a thorough job.”

But she added: “The message must go out to visitors and tourists that carrying knives of any type is never welcome.”

Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, told the Evening Standard that it was a “worryingly high figure.”