UPDATE 30 OCTOBER, 6pm: Increased stop and search powers put in place temporarily in parts of Leeds yesterday to prevent serious violence have now come to an end.
The Section 60 powers concluded at 5.40pm today (October 30th) after being initiated to help keep communities safe in the West and North West areas of the city following two incidents of serious violence on Tuesday evening.
Enquiries remain ongoing into both offences by Leeds District CID with multiple arrests made.
Nine males, all aged under 20, were arrested on suspicion of affray following a fight in the Tong Street area which resulted in a male receiving a non-life threatening head injury.
Two of the males have since been released with no further action taken, while the other seven have been released on police bail pending continuing enquiries,
Officers have also arrested a 16-year-old male following fighting next to Kirkstall Abbey which took place at around 5,30pm and involved several people, described as teenagers.
Two males both received non-life threatening weapons believed to have been caused by bladed weapons during the incident.
Officers have increased patrols in the areas where offending took place to reassure residents and deter further offending.
Maintaining the trust and confidence of the community is vital and we are continuing to liaise with key community representatives, including the district’s Independent Advisory Group, to ensure appropriate scrutiny and accountability around the use of this additional power.
ORIGINAL POST: Increased stop and search powers have been put in place temporarily in parts of West Leeds to prevent serious violence following two incidents in Kirkstall and Wortley where males were injured yesterday.
Senior officers at Leeds District have authorised the use of Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to detect and deter the carrying of offensive weapons in the area and to prevent serious violence.
The order covers an area covering the West and North West of Leeds.
The authorisation came into effect at 5.40pm yesterday (Tuesday) for an initial 24 hours and its continuation will be subject to regular reviews.
It gives police officers the power to search people or vehicles for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments without them having to have their usual grounds to suspect each person searched.
It follows a man being found with head injuries in the Wortley area yesterday after armed officers attended a report of a fight which was said to have involved weapons at just before 3pm. Seven males have been arrested on suspicion of affray in connection with this incident.
It also follows a further incident in Kirkstall, which resulted in two males receiving injuries from bladed weapons. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing after officers received a report of fighting at about 5pm yesterday.
Officers are increasing their patrols and presence in the area to deter any further incidents and reassure the communities involved.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:”Maintaining the trust and confidence of the community is vital and we are continuing to liaise with key community representatives, including the district’s Independent Advisory Group, to ensure appropriate scrutiny and accountability around the use of this additional power.”