POLICE have taken action over antisocial behaviour in Crowthorne and Sandhurst, following two weekends of pre-arranged fights with weapons in the two villages.
In a bid to restore order, Thames Valley Police has enacted a Section 60 stop and search order which is in place until 2pm on Saturday, October 3.
The affected area covers the area defined by the road boundaries of the B340 to the north, Wokingham Road to the west, York Town Road to the south and Rackstraw Road into Foresters Way to the east, as well as Sandhurst Memorial Ground.
Thames Valley Police said that it has received reports of significant disorder, including pre-arranged fights with weapons in areas of Sandhurst and Crowthorne.
A number of arrests have been made and a number of discarded weapons have been recovered.
Its intelligence suggests there is a current and escalating rivalry between groups of youths.#
The Section 60 order will be reviewed tomorrow, and the force said that it may be extended further.
In a statement, Superintendent Lindsey Finch said: “A Section 60 order is an action we can put in place when there are reasonable grounds to believe there is a possibility of serious violence, or a possibility of weapons being used.
“We have intelligence that there may be potential for violence between specific groups of youths, and so to prevent this, we have put this order in place.
“Using these increased powers, we are able to stop and search anybody within a defined area while it is activated, with or without reasonable grounds to do so.”
She added that while the Section 60 order is in place, there will be an increased presence of uniformed police officers.
“This order has been put in place to prevent such incidents from taking place, and so I hope that this does reassure the local community,” she added.
“Putting Section 60 orders in place is not something we do every day, and we do not take decisions to do so lightly.
“These orders exist to help the police prevent serious violence. Although this may sound concerning, the Section 60 is just one of many measures we can use in order to prevent incidents of violence.”
And for those who are stopped, she said: “Please do not be worried if you are stopped by an officer. This does not mean you are in trouble. Please listen to and engage with our officers, and they will be happy to address any concerns that you have.”
For more on why Section 60 powers are used, log on to: www.thamesvalley.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/st-s/stop-and-search/why-we-use-stop-and-search/
