Police seize knife after ANOTHER pupil brings blade to school in County Durham; There have been two separate incidents at schools in Stanley and Peterlee, County Durham, within the last week.

Byline: Kali Lindsay

Police have seized a knife from a youngster attending primary school inCounty Durham.

Officers were called to Greenland Community Primary School in South Moor,Stanley, following reports of a pupil having a knife.

It comes after Durham Constabulary revealed afour-inch blade was seized from a pupil attending a Peterleeschool on Monday.

Mark Stewart, head teacher at Greenland Community Primary School, confirmed the incident took place on March 7 and was being taken "very seriously".

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He added: "We are working closely with the child concerned and their family in conjunction with the local authority and police.

"We will work with a variety of charities and support groups to ensure our children are fully aware of the issues this incident has highlighted.

"This was an isolated incident and we would like to reassure families that the school has robust measures in place to ensure the safety of all pupils in our care."

ADurham Constabulary spokeswoman said: "Police officers attended the school and spoke with the child and his parents.

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"They clearly explained to the pupil the dangers and potential consequences of carrying a knife, and that it is a criminal offence to carry one."

Officers inPeterleewere called to an unidentified school on Monday after a 15-year-old was found carrying a blade.

They said the student will be interviewed and dealt with by the youth offending team.

Durham Constabulary is supporting Operation Sceptre which is a national operation aimed at tackling knife related incidents.

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A number of deaths among young people as a result of stabbings across the country have made national headlines in recent weeks.

Recent figures show the number of young people killed by knives rose by nearly 50% last year amid a surge of violence.

In 2018, 76 people were reportedly stabbed to death in London and 306 in the UK as a whole.

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Home Secretary Sajid Javid has vowed to treat knife crime as a "disease" after the recent spate of fatal stabbings.

Anyone with information about knife crime or anyone who may be carrying knife is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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CAPTION(S):

Credit: ncjMedia / Durham Constabulary

Greenland Community Primary School, Stanley, and the knife taken from a pupil in Peterlee (inset)

Credit: Durham Constabulary

Knife seized from a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Peterlee by police