Dorset Police news site

A number of stop and searches were carried out in parts of Bournemouth town centre after a special power was introduced in response to recent violent incidents.

This power, Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, was put in place across part of Bournemouth seafront, Bournemouth Lower Gardens and The Square from 6pm on Friday 11 August 2023 until 6pm on Sunday 13 August 2023. This was the maximum length of time the power can be used at any one time.

Section 60 can be implemented in areas where either serious violence has occurred, police believe serious violence is about to occur, or where officers believe that people may be carrying weapons, and gives officers the power to stop and search anyone in a designated location, without the restrictions of normal stop and search.

During the weekend, officers proactively patrolled the area defined in the map as part of Op Fireglow and Op Nightjar, to apprehend those individuals looking to cause serious violence and carrying dangerous instruments or offensive weapons.

Using the Section 60 powers in a proportionate way, Dorset Police stopped and searched 14 people, including two youths under the age of 18, who were found in possession of a quantity of suspected drugs. They received out of court disposals – a method of resolving an investigation for offenders of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour. 

No weapons or knives were located during any of the searches, however, officers spoke with multiple members of the public during their high-visibility patrols, building relationships and positive engagement.

In addition, five dispersal orders were issued under Section 35 of the Public Order Act, instructing individuals to leave the area and not return for up to 48 hours.

Chief Superintendent Heather Dixey said: “This emergency power was not given lightly. It was a short-term preventative tactic, which was used as a deterrent to prevent people going out armed with weapons and enabled us to keep communities safe and prevent serious violence.

“Dorset remains the sixth safest county in the country, however serious violent crime is a real concern among local communities in relation to recent incidents of serious violence and knife crime.

“This weekend was a positive step, showing our communities that we are actively working to prevent further violence from taking place in our county. We will continue our work with our partner agencies that is already underway to tackle serious violence, including visiting people known to carry knives, offering education to schools and sharing information between agencies to identify possible offenders early.”

Dorset Police would always prefer to prevent anyone from becoming a victim of crime. Details of the Section 60 were proactively issued to the public to prevent individuals coming into the town armed with a weapon.

Some young people think that carrying a knife will provide them with protection, however, statistics show that carrying a knife or weapon actually means you are more likely to end up being hurt yourself as you can be seen as the threat.

Chief Superintendent Heather Dixey continued: “I hope by using this power we provided reassurance to our communities that we are doing all we can to reduce these offences and prevent other people from coming to harm, while sending out a very strong message to those individuals who choose to carry knives that we simply will not tolerate it and will relentlessly pursue you.”

If you or someone you know needs help and support around knives, or you have any information regarding someone carrying a knife, please contact Dorset Police online at Contact us to report a crime, incident or suspicion | Dorset Police or CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.