British Transport Police carry out knife searches at Sunderland Station using walk-through metal detector

Passengers in Sunderland Station on Friday, August 30 may have been checked by metal detector as part of a safety operation by the British Transport Police (BTP).
Debra Fox
By Debra Fox
Published 30th Aug 2019, 16:36 BST
Updated 1st Sep 2019, 13:01 BST
An operation has been carried out at Sunderland Station.An operation has been carried out at Sunderland Station.
An operation has been carried out at Sunderland Station.

A BTP spokesman confirmed that such operations are routinely carried out across the country, mainly focused on identifying people who may be carrying knives or other weapons.

A Nexus spokesman said: “Officers from the British Transport Police have had an operation taking place at Sunderland Station on Friday afternoon which has involved the deployment of an archway metal detector to scan for anyone that might be carrying a weapon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“This is a typical operation that police carry out to keep the railways safe and secure for passengers.

“Crime on the Tyne and Wear Metro remains low, and incidents of knife crime are extremely rare.”

Tyne and Wear’s BTP branch confirmed on Twitter that a similar “knife arch” operation would be taking place on Friday, August 30, at Newcastle Central Station.