Police are taking tougher action against people caught carrying knives following a public outcry.

Officers who previously handed out cautions instead of bringing charges against offenders were accused of being too lenient.

But with public fear of knife crime soaring, Sussex Police is cracking down.

The force said it had halved the number of cautions given to people caught carrying knives.

Last year The Argus launched the Knives Cost Lives campaign which called for two-year minimum sentences for those convicted of carrying a blade without lawful reason.

Police came under pressure from politicians and victims’ families after it was revealed that in 2008 more people were cautioned than charged for possession of a blade.

Now cautions have been banned for people aged 18 or over caught with a knife.

Instead, they are charged and brought before the courts.

Last year, out of 410 cases of people arrested for possessing a blade, there were only 188 charges, compared to 211 cautions.

So far this year the average number of cautions per week has halved after police adopted a “more robust approach” based on Home Office guidance.

People under the age of 16 were also more likely to be charged.

Chief Constable Martin Richards said there needed to be more flexibility when dealing with young people than with adults.

He said: “The balance here is the proportionality and the criminalising of young people where, if we remove discretion from police officers, if we move away from the opportunity to get to know a young person and get to know the full circumstances, then I think we lose an awful lot in terms of our policing style. It is a balance.”