Lethal weapons including knives disguised as fountain pens and walking sticks are arriving in Sussex from abroad.

Police, concerned by the rise in knife-related crimes, today launched an amnesty in the hope people will give them up.

Owners can hand them in at front counters at Brighton police station in John Street and Hove police station in Holland Road during the next six weeks.

Many of the weapons can be bought in France and are being smuggled in.

Foreign students are often unaware of their illegality and police are spreading the message among language schools.

There were 11 violent crimes involving knives in February 1999 but the figure climbed to 40 in the same month this year.

Police today displayed an array of flick-knives, spiked rings, hunting knives and a credit card holder with a blade inside, all seized in recent months.

Police want all weapons, baseball bats, flick and hunting knives, knuckle dusters and guns handed in.

The campaign was launched today at a meeting of the Violent Crime Task Force, comprising police, council representatives, Tony Mernagh, the city centre manager, and other agencies including Victim Support, the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Trading Standards, and the Youth Offending Team.

Mr Coll said the weapons amnesty would be accompanied by extra stop searches of suspects in the streets.