Youth with knife in Southend arrested after being spotted by child
The young boy was looking out of a window when he spotted the youth lifting his top to expose what appeared to be the handle of a weapon
Last updated 31st Aug 2025
A youth carrying a knife was arrested on Southend High Street yesterday afternoon (30 August) following a tip off from a child eating in a fast food restaurant.
The young boy was looking out of the window when he spotted the youth lifting his top to expose what appeared to be the handle of a weapon.
The boy told his parents, and his mum alerted officers from Southend Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) who were patrolling on the High Street.
The officers immediately apprehended the youth and recovered the weapon and a small amount of cannabis. He was then taken to Southend custody.
PC Ben Higgs of Southend NPT said:
“There is absolutely no excuse for carrying a knife and it was a brilliant spot by the boy. It was incredibly mature of him to tell his parents and fortunately we were very close by.
“We quickly searched and arrested the youth but by the time we went back to the restaurant to thank the family, they’d left.
“We’d love the parents to get in touch with us as their son deserves some official recognition. We might even have some shifts he can cover next weekend as he’s clearly a natural!
“NPT officers are out on patrol every single day of the year but the information we get from the public is crucial for our work, so if you spot something, please tell us and we will investigate.”