Police given extra powers to stop and search across Staffordshire town
An area of a Staffordshire town was put under extended police powers at the weekend after reports of potential violence.
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Staffordshire Police said it had used Section 60 powers in Hednesford across Saturday after receiving information about the possibility of violence in the town.
Section 60 allows any uniformed constable to stop pedestrians or those in vehicles and search them and their property for offensive weapons, regardless of whether there are any grounds for suspecting possession of such items.
For this to happen a senior officer, those who are Superintendent or above, must believe that serious violence has happened in an area, or is about to happen, before they agree to this power being put in place.
It’s called a Section 60, or S60, because it is allowed under Section 60 and Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
The force used the powers across Hednesford, including inside Hednesford Park, throughout Saturday afternoon and up until midnight.
It explained that while officers were able to stop and search people suspected of being involved in violence involving weapons, they would still be following the usual stop and search processes.
This included explaining why a person has been stopped, what object the officer is searching for, the legislation being used, recording the interaction on body worn video and offering a receipt to the person who has been stopped.
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said prior to the order: "We’ll be using Section 60 powers in the Hednesford area of Cannock, including Hednesford Park, until 12 midnight tonight (Saturday 16 March).
"It follows information about potential violence and this allows us to stop and search people we suspect may be involved in violence involving weapons, without the need to have reasonable grounds."
Chief Superintendent Emily Clarke said at the time: “As always, our main priority is to keep everyone safe.
"The Section 60 is in place for a specific time period, until 12 midnight tonight, in a defined area, based on specific information we have and to prevent disorder.”
