THE police were today given new powers to enter schools and arrest anyone carrying a knife

The Government unveiled proposals that would give them extra powers to enter school premises without invitation for the first time and to stop and search pupils and adults.

And a loop hole in the law which means that although it is an offence to carry a knife in the street it is not on school premises it to be closed.

The new crackdown was today included with all party support and the Governments Offensive Weapons Bill began its detailed considerate in the Commons Committee.

The move has been provoked by two brutal knifings.

The first saw Stephen Wilkinson gaoled for life for stabbing to death Middlesbrough schoolgirl, Nickie Conroy, in her own classroom at Hallgarth School.

When Wilkinson wandered around the school with a knife he was not actually breaking the law, MPs were astonished to find.

The second killing was the knifing of London headmaster Philip Lawrence by a gang of youths outside the gates of his own school.

The two incidents alarmed teachers who have strongly backed police to give them new powers to enter schools to search people they believe may be carrying weapons and arrest those who are.

A strong supporter of the move is Tory MP Lady Olga Makeland, who was amazed that the police had no powers to conduct searches for weapons on school premises.

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