Operation Scorpion was taking place in Newark last night to combat knife crime.

A county-wide initiative to combat knife crime in Nottinghamshire came to Newark on Saturday.

A mobile metal-detecting knife arch was in position outside The White Hind pub on Carter Gate, with the consent of the landlord, for the evening as part of Operation Scorpion, which has been rolled out across the county to detect and deter knife carrying.

Officers on the operation were also patrolling Newark town centre, utilising stop search powers as well as detecting other offences, this resulted in two people being summonsed to court.

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "The archway was well received by customers and passers-by alike. Over 200 people went through the arch and no one was found in possession of a weapon of any kind. This goes some way to evidence how safe a place Newark continues to be.

"Thank you to everyone who took the time to come and speak to us, we enjoyed the opportunity to engage with you and answer your questions and we hope to return in the near future to run a similar operation."