THIS is the haul of weapons handed in to police during the first three days of an amnesty.

The Press told last week how police in York and Selby had launched the month-long weapons amnesty as part of a major operation.

Police hope that the weapons amnesty, which runs until February 29, will encourage people to hand in any firearms and knives which they have in their possession and reduce the number of incidents involving knives on the streets in the area.

So far 12 knives have been handed in anonymously and officers in Selby have even had a firearm handed over.

Sergeant Jo Sutheran, who is running the amnesty, said: "We are really pleased with the response so far."

Plastic containers have been chained down in the reception areas at York Police Station, in Fulford Road, and Selby Police Station.

Sgt Sutheran said: "We want to reduce the number of weapons on the streets or that people have in their houses which can fall into the wrong hands, and we want to minimise the number of times those weapons are used in incidents that we attend.

"It's not just for knives, it includes any kind of weapons and firearms."

Officers are asking anyone with firearms to hand them in over the front counter because they need to be kept safe.

The amnesty is all part of Operation Maximum Impact - which sees North Yorkshire Police link up with three neighbouring forces for a massive operation.

Officers in the county have joined up with their colleagues from West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Humberside throughout February for a month-long co-ordinated crime initiative.

Throughout the operation there will be a crackdown on vehicle crime across the area, a focused road policing initiative and action to catch any wanted offenders.

Next week will focus on combating violent crime, including domestic violence, the following week will aim to tackle vandalism and disorder and the final week will concen- trate on "acquisitive" crime - such as vehicle crime and theft.

The initiative is supported by Crimestoppers, which is appealing for anyone with information about crimes to phone in confidence on 0800 555 111.