Police warn about the dangers of carrying knives in public after a teenager’s weapon was confiscated.

A police spokesman said they have seized a lock knife from a teenage male at the skate park in Totnes, and are urging people to consider the consequences before doing the same. The knife, whose blade can be ’locked’ open and only closed with the push of a button, is classed as an offensive weapon.

Police said they are confident the individual "had no ill intentions and was perhaps more naiive than criminal", but warned despite this they had "in theory committed quite a serious offence".

The spokesman said: "Knife crime is on the rise throughout many inner cities... I am not comparing Totnes to inner cities, but it disturbs me nonetheless that we are beginning to recover the odd knife from young persons here in Totnes."

Police have emphasised that a lack of understanding the law does not excuse illegal activity, and have said to "please consider this before you take a knife out and about and the impact a knife type offence conviction can have on you, a potential victim and the local community."