A knife has been recovered by police as part of a crackdown launched amid mounting fears of violence linked to Richmond College.

Students at the college in Twickenham have spoken confidentially of rising levels of anxiety in the wake of the knife murder of a student last month.

At the same time, a number of residents have questioned the continued presence of the College, which attracts students from across London, in the area.

Most secondary schools across Richmond borough have opened their own Sixth Form centres in recent years. As a result, fewer local youngsters attend the College, which has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

In the past week, local police and the British Transport Police set up a knife arch and carried out searches of people leaving Twickenham rail station.

The crackdown relates to the arrival of teenagers on their way to Richmond College and is part of a wider attempt by authorities at the college to reduce risk and improve safety.

British Transport Police explained what it is doing on Twitter, saying: "You may have seen our Richmond Proactive Team at Twickenham Station this morning in company with our partners from @MPSTwickenham @MPSStMargarets where we deployed a Knife Arch at the station.

"A number of searches were conducted and 1 knife was seized."

A spokesman added: "As part of Operations Sceptre, this week British Transport Police (BTP) is working with police forces nationwide to tackle knife crime.

"As always, they'll be patrolling the railway and carrying out operations at key stations across England, Scotland and Wales with resources such as metal detection arches.

"The safety of everyone using the network is our top priority."

Separately, Richmond police tweeted: "Officers from Twickenham neighbourhood teams & @BTPLondon conducted a knife arch operation this morning at Twickenham station.

"Stop & search led to one male arrested for possession of a knife & a weapon off the street. A number of people were also found without tickets."

An 18-year-old student, Hazrat Wali, 18, died last month after he was stabbed on playing fields at Craneford Way, Twickenham, which is near the College. A 16-year-old has been charged with murder.

The College authorities have put in a number of security and safeguarding measures, including their own knife and weapons searches.

A spokesman said: "The College has a number of security and safeguarding measures in place and as always, safety is a key priority for the College.

"We continue to work closely with the local police to help ensure our students and the local community feel safe, this includes random knife arch searches at the rail station and on the College premises.

"Senior College staff meet on a regular basis with a number of local organisations and residents to look at ways in which crime and anti-social behaviour can be tackled in the local area – this includes challenging any member of the public that is acting inappropriately, not only College students.

"The College has a number of measures in place to help keep students and staff safe whilst they are on the College campus and in the immediate vicinity.

"It isn't within our remit or gift to keep everyone safe when they are off the College site."