Southend: 15 stop and searches following disorder
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Our officers carried out 15 stop and searches as we maintained a visible presence in Southend following incidents of disorder on Friday.
A Section 60 authority and dispersal order were put in place on Friday evening.
The Section 60 was extended on Saturday while a further dispersal order was implemented.
On Friday itself, officers arrested one man for robbery and another for possession of an offensive weapon.
Earlier in the day three teenage girls from London were arrested in connection with a fight.
Investigations into the assaults where men sustained stabs wounds are ongoing.
"We had planned for Southend being busy"
Chief Inspector Ian Hughes, District Commander for Southend, said:
“Friday night was extremely busy as people came to the seafront to enjoy the hot weather.
“We had planned ahead to ensure we had a larger police presence than usual in and around the seafront knowing it was going to be busy.
“Following the incidents of disorder, we acted swiftly to use the tools available to us to keep you safe.
“We also diverted extra officers from elsewhere in the county to Southend to help deal with these incidents and provide a further enhanced visible presence.
“We believe the most serious incidents of violence on Friday were targeting and carried out by people who had travelled here from London.
“As the weekend progressed, we maintained that highly visible presence bringing in other specialist units.
“As with any incident, we’re reviewing the plans we had in place and you can expect to see an even further enhanced visible presence over coming weekends.”
"People coming from outside Essex to carry out crime"
Chief Inspector Hughes added that many people involved in these incidents were not from the area.
He said:
“We have seen a trend of people coming to Southend from elsewhere, particularly London, to carry out crime and violence.
“We have evidence to believe that those involved in the more serious incidents on Friday had travelled here specifically for that purpose and those injured had been targeted.
“We are continuing to work with our colleagues at British Transport Police to identify and deal with those using the train network to travel here to commit crime and violence, and using the ANPR system to do the same for those coming here by car.
“I want to be clear – we will not tolerate people coming to Southend to cause trouble.
“You’re not welcome and we will deal with you.
“I will not let you ruin the experiences of those who come here to enjoy our seafront, eat at our restaurants, and drink in our pubs and bars.
“Finally, I want to say thank you to the people in Southend for their ongoing support.
“I know our investigative work has disrupted local businesses so we appreciate their support and continue to engage with them.”