Last month, Lincolnshire Police launched a multi-agency, multi-town operation across Skegness, Ingoldmells and Mablethorpe. The focus of this endeavour, named Operation California, was to prevent, violence, anti-social behaviour and tackle drug use. Participating organisations included the Lincolnshire Police, East Lindsey District council and drug, alcohol and mental health charity, We Are With You.
As part of the operation, the Risk P1 Portable Knife Arch was deployed along with a drug itemizer. These devices were set up at popular nightspots where walking through the knife arch and having your hands swabbed were a condition of entry.
Over the course of the summer, Lincolnshire Police average 150 to 200 people scanned per venue and attribute a 47% drop of serious violent incidents where knives were involved to the deployment of the RISK P1 Portable Knife Arch.
Unlike traditional walkthrough metal detectors, the RISK P1 uses a modular design that allows it to be assembled and disassembled in minutes. This allows it to be deployed rapidly either at a venue, in a town centre or even moved between entrances at stadiums or large arenas.
The RISK P1 Portable Knife Arch has become one of the more popular walkthrough metal detectors in the UK over the recent years being used by police, security, private companies and even schools. It has 24 detection zones, a 12000 mAh battery, IP67 rain cover and up to 255 Sensitivity Levels.
Of working with the Risk P1 Portable Knife Arch, Chief Inspector, Lee St Quinton is quoted as saying, “We have used the P1 Knife arch through the Summer to support our Summertime Policing plan, with the aim of making the Coastal District the safest place to live, work and visit”.
“The RISK P1 knife arch has allowed us to add a new dimension to our night-time economy approach, previously only looking at Violence and disorder, our new improved approach now looks at possession of weapons, illegal drugs and Violence against Women and Girls”
“What we love about the knife arch is how portable it is, with officers able to setup the equipment in a matter of minutes. The 9 hour battery life is also a great for working in remote areas where power is not readily available. The RISK P1 Knife arch has been a game changer for us, from its use we have been able to reduce the percentage of weapons within our Serious Violence profile by over 47%”.
“We plan to invest further in more RISK P1 Knife arches for Lincolnshire”.
Established in 1856, the Lincolnshire Police cover one of the largest land areas in the UK of any police force at 2284 square miles and employs over 2500 people across the East Midlands. Public Response to Operation California has been overwhelmingly positive with many members of the public sharing their support of the initiative through social media.