Police in Oxford will be carrying out an operation with the city’s licensed premises this weekend to target people carrying knives.

As part of the city’s Nightsafe operation, officers will be operating a knife arch outside The Regal in Cowley Road tomorrow evening.

Door staff at the town’s largest and busiest nightspots will also be using their metal detector wands on people entering venues.

The operation follows an incident in Oxford last weekend, in which a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in King Edward Street after an altercation.

Mahesh Bennett, 25, of Mora Street, London, has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and remanded to appear at Oxford Magistrates’ Court today.

Det Insp Simon Morton said: “We are worried that there might be retaliation for the stabbing and this is being treated very seriously.

"We won’t accept this kind of nonsense in Oxford; if you decide carry a knife, expect to be arrested.

“We will be paying visits to everyone involved in last weekend’s incident and warning them about their future conduct and how seriously we will handle any form of retribution.

“I would like to reassure the public that patrols will be stepped up in the city and surrounding areas in conjunction with the Nightsafe operation to address any issues that might arise.”

Insp Matt Bullivant, City Centre and Nightsafe Inspector for Oxford, said: “The issue of knife crime is one that is taken very seriously in Oxford, which is why the city’s busier venues, as part of Nightsafe, have used the wands for more than a year to detect people carrying knives.

“However, we are aware there have been a number of incidents in the city recently and, as such, we wanted to run an operation over the weekend where the police and licensed premises visibly step up security and ensure that it passes without incident.”

The operation also coincides with the annual firework display in South Park, an event that regularly attracts more than 15,000 people.

Insp Bullivant added: “We want people to feel safe on a night out in the city and this operation shows how seriously we take this matter.

“We anticipate that this weekend will be a very busy one in the city centre and if anyone is considering bringing a knife into town they will, as always, be arrested and the maximum sentence pursued.

“We have worked closely with the licensees in the city and stamping out knife crime is something we all want.

“The message is quite simple: knives ruin lives. Whether you’re the person using one, or the person on the receiving end.”

Karen Crossan, Nightsafe manager for Oxford Safer Communities Partnership, said: “Oxford is a very safe city.

“We want this to continue and this will involve a strong working partnership between all those involved in Nightsafe.