This knife was recovered by officers after they detained a man using stop-and-search powers in Ham.

The man was seen talking on the phone while riding a bike, so police decided to pull him over.

Later, the knife was found under his bed in his home.

The incident was reported by PC Richards of Richmond Police on the community forum Nextdoor. He wrote:

On August 5 officers from our Violence Suppression Unit were carrying out proactive patrols in Ham.

Officers saw a male speaking on the phone while riding a bike, and so signaled for him to pull over to speak to him.

He stopped, briefly, and then sped off after two officers got out of the vehicle. A colleague in the vehicle raced after him, as officers on foot ran to detain the male.

After a short foot chase through alleys and side roads we caught up to the male on Kestrel Close.

A search revealed the male had Class B drugs and after discovering further evidence he was arrested for the offences of Possession with Intent to Supply Class B and failing to stop for Police.

A search of his home revealed a large knife hidden under his bed.

If you know someone who carries a knife or weapon, report it 100% anonymously to the independent charity Fearless.

Use of stop-and-search

Police in Richmond used stop-and-search powers 408 times in May - up from 100 times in May 2019.

It was the steepest increase of all South West London boroughs.

Officers took advantage of a fall in emergency calls during lockdown to carry out more proactive policing.

"Stop and search is a legitimate and important power that protects Londoners and keeps our streets safe by preventing crime, detecting offenders and building public confidence," a spokesman said.