IT should be used for fighting supervillains in the world of fantasy.

But this terrifying Wolverine claw was being paraded on the streets of Hampshire – until now.

It is one of 19 bizarre weapons handed to police so far in a knife amnesty taking place across the county.

Axes, kitchen blades and a ninja throwing star have also been dropped in collection bins at police stations over the past fortnight.

Police are promising to catch people who carry knives illegally – but Hampshire's police federation chief has called on the courts to do more.

John Apter welcomed the amnesty but called for a "multi-pronged approach" including tougher sentences.

He said: "Knife crime is the scourge of this country.

"The amnesties are important but they've got to go hand in hand with campaigns in schools and colleges, which we do an awful lot of but maybe we need to do even more of.

"For possessing weapons it's not that often that we see the courts being as robust as maybe we should. There's got to be a multi-pronged approach to this."

Mr Apter said he was all too familiar with weapons like the claw, reminiscent of blades used by Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in the X-Men films.

Mr Apter said: "In some communities it's seen as a status symbol, where the more extreme and bizarre the weapon you have, the cooler you look amongst your mates.

"When people have these weapons with them it's easy to react in the heat of the moment, and that can have life-changing, devastating consequences.

"For some it ends up with them in a hospital bed – or in a morgue."

The amnesty bins will be at Newport, Basingstoke, Southampton central and Portsmouth central police stations until Wednesday July 20.

They are part of a crackdown on knives dubbed Operation Sceptre.

Chief Inspector Claire Taylor said: “This amnesty is your chance to hand unlawful weapons in and walk away without prosecution and be free from the fear you could be putting yours and your loved ones lives at risk.

“We know people carry knives for many reasons including fear, or because they think it will protect them.

"However, in reality carrying a knife puts them at greater risk of being seriously injured or killed, not to mention being arrested for possession of a bladed article."