POLICE cracking down on knife crime will visit shops to ensure staff are challenging people who try to buy blades.

Canvey is also set to get its own knife amnesty bin.

Officers and PCSOs from the Castle Point and Rochford community policing team are carrying out action to educate children on the dangers of carrying weapons and to make checks on shopkeepers.

They want to stop knives getting into the wrong hands and to make it as difficult as possible to be able to carry a blade in public.

It comes as police across the country take part in Operation Sceptre - a crackdown on the supply, access and importation of weapons.

The initiative involves executing warrants, carrying out roadside checks and high-visibility patrols.

Insp Fergus Caulfield, from the community policing team, said: “PCSOs visiting shops on Canvey to see how they sell knives to people, who they are selling to and how they challenge people.

“We will be going into a variety of shops, including supermarkets and independent shops that sell knives.

“It is important that shopkeepers know the law and stick to it.”

It’s illegal to sell a knife to anyone under the age of18, unless it has a folding blade three inches long or less.

The legislation is enforced by the police and trading standards. Sellers should always verify the age of the purchaser before a sale.

It is also illegal to carry a knife in public without good reason, to carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife and to use any knife in a threatening way even if it is a legal knife.

The knife amnesty bin will be place outside Canvey Police Station, in Long Road.

It will enable the safe disposal of all bladed items,

There are bins placed all over the county, including in Southend and Pitsea, after dad-of-one Darren Kelly, 42, was stabbed to death in the street in October 2015.

Mr Caulfield said: “There is no issue that knife crime or carrying weapons is on the rise or a problem on Canvey, but it is an opportunity for adults and children who find themselves carrying knives to dispose of them safely.

“We want to give them the most opportunity as possible to get rid of knives and the crime that goes with it.”

Year Six pupils from Canvey have also been attending Crucial Crew workshops at The Paddocks, in Long Road, this month to learn about the dangers of carrying knives.

Organised by the Community Safety Partnership, the workshops also aim to make pupils aware of issues such as internet safety, drugs, bullying, personal safety, fire, first aid, railway and road safety.

Anyone with informationcan call Essex Police on 101.