VIDEO and PICTURES: 406 lethal weapons taken off our streets

A serrated knuckleduster designed to maim victims, an intimidating 20-inch machete, and a fierce jigsaw blade are among the horrifying arsenal taken off the West Midlands streets in the past six months.

"They live in a life of perceived fear," says Mike Smith, founder of Word 4 Weapons, describing those who surrendered the haul in 11 deposit bins across Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

The aim is to rid the streets of these lethal killers.

But expectations are realistic.

"In the Bible, it refers to people who live by the sword, end up dying the by the sword, and the same applies now," he said.

"Carrying a weapon does not save a life, it takes a life.

"The bins are not going to solve it alone.

"People have been killing each other since Cain and Abel and that is not going to stop overnight.

"But it is part of the puzzle."

There were 406 weapons surrendered in the latest cache. But more than 15,000 have been collected across the West Midlands and London by this pioneering voluntary scheme since 2009.

Mr Smith added: "I started in 2007 and the reason was that I saw so many young people lose their lives because of knives.

"We could never do this on our own. There is a lot of support from police, local authorities, and community organisations.

"We go into schools and talk about the consequences of carrying a knife and what could happen.

"In schools pupils are taught maths and English, how to make a baby but not how to save lives.

"These are the things that made me feel we needed to do something.

"In the West Midlands the communities have been very engaged. They have asked for it and they have supported it.

"Knife crime has been around for a long, long time. I grew up in 1960 and can remember the skinheads, mods, rockers, punks, and Teddy Boys. They carried them around. In society we have a gang culture and territorial culture. If they knew the fact you are more likely to be injured or killed by carrying one they wouldn't do it.

"They live in a life of perceived fear.

"We have other influences out there such as TV and films. We can't stop those influences but as parents and guardians we can teach and coach our children to separate reality from fiction.

"A lot of education has to start at home.

"TV and films are dramatised. It feeds negativity by glamorising. Look at James Bond; he shoots people, and sleeps with many beautiful women.

"We need to instil values in people so that they can separate fact from fiction.

"The reality of being in a gang is not glamorous. It is boring."

The perception of fear is something that is echoed by a top West Midlands police officer who works to clear knives and guns from the streets.

Detective Constable Dave Webb said: "I work as a link between the community and the police. The scheme has help establish trust with the local communities and from the number of knives and even fire arms deposited, the results speak for themselves.

"There were more than 100 knives in one bin in Wolverhampton including a live firearm. It is all about trust and confidence but it is important that this is something that is run by the community.

"Why do people carry knives? It is about protection. Because one person has a knife, someone else thinks they need one.

"Each one of these lives represents a concerned mother or someone who has found a knife in their child's room and has the trust and confidence to get rid of it safely.

"They represent someone who has gone to school and had made that choice that they do not need it and surrendered it."

Knife crime has reduced from 4,116 incidents in 2002/03 to 1,555 last year.

But that is still an average of four knife crimes a day across the Black Country and Birmingham.

Community campaigner Desmond Jaddoo added: "I think a lot of it is peer pressure. They see others around them with knives and think they have to too. Others are poor and think the only way they can get what they want is to rob someone else."

In total, 406 items were last week emptied from the collection bins, including 104 in Whitmore Reans and 14 in Heath Town, both in Wolverhampton.

The city will host the first Word 4 Weapons Community Awards at Molineux next month to recognise the contribution made by people to rid knives from the streets.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "These are ordinary people who are coming together to get knives and weapons off our streets.

"The numbers here may be shocking but it shows the bins are working.

"Residents can be reassured that every effort is being made to reduce knife crime. The figures are down by a third in the last decade and schemes like this with faith leaders and community figures is effective."

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Yvonne Mosquito said: "It is the community that has taken this action. Although looking at the number and sheer variety of the weapons is horrifying, this is good news. Each one of these knives is someone who has not been killed or stabbed.

"There were people who were sceptical at the start of this project but getting these weapons off our streets is encouraging.

"This has been done by the community itself and not the police, that is a powerful message."

There are bins in Whitmore Reans, Heath Town, Sparkbrook, Edgbaston, Hockley, Lozells, Erdington, and Aston.

Another bin is planned for the Sandwell area, likely to be in West Bromwich.