PEOPLE tried to smuggle more than 170 knives into courts in Bradford in one year, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal.

The weapons were among the hundreds of items confiscated by security guards at the entrances to Bradford Combined Court and Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court.

Other objects seized included tools, alcohol, cameras and recorders.

Those involved were last night branded "dumb" by a senior Bradford councillor, who is responsible for community safety.

Deputy Council leader, Cllr Imran Hussain, who trained as a barrister, said the number of knives confiscated at the courts had left him "quite speechless".

He said: "It just shows how dumb some of these people are.

"Clearly security is of paramount importance in these situations.

"I understand that the courts take security very seriously, quite rightly, and those that are caught with anything illegal will face the consequences."

Anyone wanting to go into either of Bradford's courts buildings is met with an airport-style security gate, where bags are searched by security staff and people have to walk through a metal detector arch.

Rebecca Allan, branch secretary for the union PCS, which represents the guards, praised their bravery, saying they deserved a pay rise for their "difficult and dangerous job".

"We have a lot of very, very skilled and experienced members of staff who work across the courts and a big part of their role isn't just to search people or deal with incidents when they happen," she said.

"A lot of them are very skilled in preventing incidents from taking place, talking to customers, calming them down and building the relationships that a civil servant really can't.

"Those staff, as far as I'm aware, have not had a pay rise for the past four years now and are working just above minimum wage in an emotionally difficult and dangerous job.

"Their employer needs to look at the wages they are paying their staff."

The guards are employed through a private contractor, G4S, which did not respond to requests by the T&A for a comment.

The information requested by the T&A under the Freedom of Information Act shows the number of items confiscated by guards at these gates from April 2013 to March 2014.

At Bradford Combined Court in Drake Street, which contains Crown and County Courts, guards found 126 knives while searching people and bags.

They also found 103 tools which were deemed to pose a potential hazard, as well as 82 alcohol bottles or cans, 259 cameras and 47 recorders.

It is forbidden to use cameras or recording devices in most courtrooms in England and Wales.

Meanwhile, at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court and Family Court in The Tyrls, guards found 46 knives.

They also seized 23 sharps, 97 cameras, eight recorders, 57 alcohol bottles or cans and 62 tools deemed hazardous.

Most items are returned to people as they leave the courts, although some are confiscated permanently.

A spokesman for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) said if the item seized was illegal - such as a knife with a blade longer than three inches - then the police would be called.

He said: "HMCTS takes the issue of security within courts extremely seriously and has a robust security and safety system to protect all court users and the Judiciary.

"This system includes mandatory bag searches, metal detectors and surveillance cameras, as well as court security officers who have legislative powers to protect all those in the court building.

"The powers of the court security officers include the ability to restrain and remove people from the building should there be a need.

"Our security system is continually monitored to ensure that it is effective and proportionate and mitigates against the risks faced."

The data also suggests that most of the knives seized at the two courts had blades longer than three inches, which would make them illegal to carry in the streets.

However, the Courts Service believes there has been a clerical error in the recording of that data, and that most of the knives seized were small.