FOUR teenagers have been arrested following an altercation in which a knife was pulled.
A report was first made by a police CCTV operation, which spotted a large knife taken from a rucksack by a boy on Hastings seafront.
An altercation ensued involving the boy and a number of other young people outside St Mary in the Castle at 5.15pm on Thursday March 24.
As some members of the group fled the area, officers arrested a boy suspected of being in possession of a knife blade in a public place and fighting.
No knife was found during the arrest and so a Section 60 order was authorized, allowing officers to carry out stops and searches of the area in an attempt to find the weapon.
During subsequent searches, two lock knives and bags of Class B drugs were found and seized.
Three other boys were arrested on suspicion of offenses including possession of a knife blade in a public place, fighting and possession with intent to supply a controlled Class B drug.
Searches were then conducted at an associated address and further drugs and weapons were found and seized.
A boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with possession of a knife blade in a public place.
The other three boys have been released under investigation as investigations continue.
Detective Sergeant Daniel Beek said: “Thanks to the vigilance of a police CCTV operator, officers were able to respond quickly to reports of a knife in the town center and disrupt a group of people involved in a altercation.
“Knife crime, violence and anti-social behavior have no place in our community and when we become aware of incidents like this, we will use the police powers we have to address it.
“Sometimes it’s a dispersal order or as in this case, a section 60 order authorizing stop and search.
“It has proven effective in enabling us to search for harmful weapons and drugs, and was done with the aim of protecting people from harm, keeping our communities safe and identifying those who have the intention to commit offences.
“This altercation occurred in a busy tourist location on a sunny day, and we understand that it may have caused distress to those in the area at the time. We hope our robust response reassure us that we take reports of this nature very seriously and respond appropriately.
“We continue to ask anyone who saw what happened to contact us if they have any information that may help the ongoing investigation.”
Anyone with information can contact police online or by calling 101, quoting serial number 961 of 3/24.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-31 06:21:23
