£5m boost to knife crime fight

A number of towns and cities will be selected to run pilot schemes designed to combat the scourge of knife-related crimes after a series of high-profile murders.

It comes the day after senior judges expressed their concern over the "escalating and grave" problem of knives and other offensive weapons being carried on Britain's streets.

The Home Office will also publish results of a project launched last September to crack down on gun and gang crime in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

A Home Office spokeswoman said early figures showed the Tackling Gangs Action Plan had been a success.

"We are not saying it has solved gun and gang crime but it is an indication of what a focused effort can achieve," she said. "We are happy with how it has gone."

Figures on the number of offences and injuries caused by gun-related crime before and after the initiative - due to be published later - are expected to show a significant fall.

On the new knives scheme, the spokeswoman said it will be set up in major metropolitan areas in England and Wales, in consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers. The locations have not yet been decided, she added.

Its launch follows outrage over a spate of knife murders, many involving teenagers in London.

Separate funds will also be announced to continue the guns and gangs project in the four cities on a rolling basis.