NEWS that nearly 1,400 potentially lethal "knives" have been surrendered to Greater Manchester Police during the nationwide knives amnesty is heartening.

Almost 160 weapons - the second highest haul in the county - were deposited in Bolton's K Division. And while it is chilling to contemplate that so many weapons were in circulation, the streets of Bolton will be all the safer after their removal.

The results of the campaign coincide with an equally welcome Home Office crackdown - spearheaded by Bolton West MP Tom Sackville - which would mean longer jail terms for knife-wielding thugs.

The problem in Bolton is sharply underscored by a series of knife attacks on elderly people, culminating in the appalling assault on a 79-year-old pensioner who was stabbed in the face by a vicious mugger in Willows Lane, Deane.

The everyday use of knives - kitchen knives made up a third of the Greater Manchester haul - makes the task of eradicating the threat almost impossible.

Nonetheless, the grim harvest of the latest amnesty illustrates a growing public awareness of the need for positive action, and a praiseworthy willingness to co-operate with the police.

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