Additional police stop and search powers in Preston after machete incident
Police in Preston have additional stop and search powers after an incident in the early hours of this morning (14th June).
Officers were called to Plungington to what they're calling "serious" and "violent", involving a large group of people wielding machetes and bats.
Although the incident isn't believed to be random or coincidental, police say there's no threat of attack to the wider public.
A Section 60 order has been put in place (see image above) covering the Grange Estate, Fishwick, Deepdale, St Matthew's and Plungington itself.
It means that officers have the power to stop and search any person in a particular area and can target people carrying weapons in the community.
A previous, smaller, Section 60 was authorised on Saturday (12th June) after incidents of disorder in the Deepdale area. It was extended on Sunday but was rescinded in order to extend the area it covered.
A post on Preston Police's social media said:
"We want to reassure the entire Preston community that we take these incidents extremely seriously and are dedicated to keeping you safe, as well as identifying and apprehending the perpetrators of crime.
"Additional resources will also continue to be utilised to protect and safeguard the community."