Police granted extra powers after series of violent incidents in Harlow Town Centre

News / Thu 24th Mar 2022 at 06:55am

ADDITIONAL stop and search powers have been granted to officers in the Harlow Town Centre after a string of violent incidents.

Police have been alerted to four separate incidents on Wednesday 23 March in the town centre area.

There were also reports of attacks on young girls on Tuesday evening as well.

An extension of the stop and search powers officers has been authorised under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

This means that officers will not need to have reasonable grounds to carry out a stop and search of persons in the area.

Inspector Ian Howlett, Harlow and Loughton LPT, said: “The additional stop-and-search powers have been authorised as a precaution following reports of robbery.

“The use of these powers is not a decision we take lightly and are in place to keep the community of Harlow and its residents safe.

“You will see officers patrolling the area to identify anyone intent on committing crime and we encourage anyone who has concerns to speak to us directly or contact us on 101.”

The order was authorised at 9.30pm today and will be in place until 9.30am tomorrow morning (Thursday 24 March) covering the area highlighted in the map.

9 Comments for Police granted extra powers after series of violent incidents in Harlow Town Centre:

Ray

2022-03-24 08:26:16

It was never like this, what on earth has changed.

Theman

2022-03-24 09:41:35

Why is it the more we liberalise our society, the worse it gets? BTW that looks larger than the town centre.

Theman

2022-03-24 09:44:48

Is it just me, but extra powers to keep us safe suggests that they were not keeping us safe in the first place. Maybe if we can find them we can hire the A-team.

Kim Oconnor

2022-03-24 10:12:07

There should be police presence in town centre at all times. Times I've been there I don't see them.

Iain

2022-03-24 10:22:13

The more we have become a country of hand-wringing liberals who won't properly punish wrongdoers, the more we have created a draconian society in which wrongdoers have no fear of the legal justice system and will commit heinous crimes without fear of prosecution. We need to bring back capital and corporal punishment, not as a deterrent, because you will never deter some people, but as vengeance for the victims of crime. We also need chain gangs for persistent offenders to clear cycle tracks of debris and to repair potholes temporarily before they can be repaired properly.

Mr Grumpy

2022-03-24 10:48:24

I rarely see Police out on the beat nowadays. More often than not, they are in cars. We need more Officers out of their cars and back on their feet. I mean real Police and not PSCOs. You are more observant of what is around you when not concentrating on driving after all.

Mike

2022-03-24 12:21:47

I feel that we are now paying for the cuts in funding that saw a drastic reduction in Police Officer numbers, which means you hardly ever see an officer "on the beat" nowadays. Combine that with a reduction in prison capacity, and softer sentences, the criminal element in or society know they are more likely to get away without being caught. And if they are caught they are unlikely to be sent to prison because there isn't the room! The Conservatives call themselves the "Party of Law and Order", yet things have got drastically worse over the last 10, and a lot of that has to be down to their policies. As a parent, I do worry for my kids being out and about.