TWO arrests were swiftly made after a teenager reported he was robbed of his mobile phone in Harlow. 

A police spokesperson said: “We were called at around 1.15pm on Tuesday 25 November reporting a teenager had been cycling in the area of The Dashes when he was approached by four young men.

He reported he was threatened, with his phone and bank card stolen. 

The victim also reported seeing a knife in the pocket of one of the males.

He said the suspects left the scene in a vehicle and he managed to recall the registration number. 

When the victim arrived at home, we were alerted, took the key details and immediately dispatched officers to the scene for an area search. 

A vehicle has been seized and arrests have been made while the victim continues to receive support.

A 17-year-old boy, from London, has been questioned on suspicion of robbery, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. 

He remains on conditional bail while the investigation continues.

An area search also resulted in the arrest of a 31-year-old man, from Walthamstow, and the recovery of a knife.

Further investigative work discounted his involvement in the robbery, but he has been charged with possession of a knife in a public place and is due to appear in court on Wednesday 26 November.

Our investigation is ongoing to trace further suspects. 

Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.

You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service which is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.

It can be found at the bottom right of our homepage at www.essex.police.uk. 

Visit www.essex.police.uk/digital101 to find out more about our website reporting services.

Alternatively, you can call us on 101. 

Please cite reference 42/172827/25.

Your Harlow Neighbourhood Policing Team has been working hard to tackle knife-related offending in recent weeks. 

Last week was Sceptre – a national spotlight on policing knife crime. 

“Officers visited Harlow College as part of their day-to-day work, where they engaged with around 300 students – also using a knife arch to detect any weapons”.