Emergency powers given to police after 'incident' involving young people in Southampton

A section 60 order has been issued for the Millbrook area of Southampton, it has been announced.

The emergency power came into force at 4pm yesterday and remains in place until 4pm today.

It comes following an incident involving a group of youths in Windermere Avenue on Friday evening.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary explained: ‘Section 60 can be implemented in areas where either serious violence has occurred or police believe serious violence is about to occur, and gives officers the power to stop and search anyone in a designated location, without the restrictions of normal stop and search.

‘Officers will be carrying out patrols across the area and will be able to stop and search anyone while the powers are in use.’

Temporary Inspector Andy Thomas added: ‘These are emergency powers and the threshold to implement them is very high, however we are using them to keep our communities safe.

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‘This is not a long term solution to violent disorder, but this allows us to use all the powers at our disposal to respond to immediate concerns raised by the community. We know some people think telling you about the Section 60 inhibits our ability to catch those responsible, however it is just as important that we prevent incidents of serious violence occurring. We will deal with those offenders, but we also want to prevent them from committing crime in the first place.

‘If you are in the area and have any concerns, you can speak to any of our officers who will be on patrol throughout this evening and tomorrow.’