The operation was carried out in the pedestrian tunnel between Tesco's supermarket on Church View and the transport interchange, and then on shoppers at the Frenchgate Centre.

Officers used the knife scanner on people passing by. Just under 400 people passed through the scanners and 212 detections were encountered, although the majority of these were harmless metal items being carried lawfully.

One packet of craft blades, a pair of scissors and a craft knife were recovered. But the blades were possessed by students who needed the equipment for their courses and did not appreciate they may be committing a criminal offence.

They were given advice by officers carrying out the scans.

Sgt Geordie Mackell said: "The operations are always extremely well received by the public with people saying the operations make them feel safe and saying the scanners are good as they discourage people from carrying knives."

Doncaster commander Chief Supt Bob Sanderson added: "The results show there is not a culture with people carrying knives in Doncaster. The scanners form part of our regular operations to tackle violent crime and will continue."

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