| Time, Date and Duration of Authority to Search |
| Date: 04/02/2022 Time: 17.00 hrs (authorised for a 7 hour period – midnight 04/02/2022). |
| Area covered by Authority (Please attach any relevant maps) |
| Upper Gornal, see map below. |
| Details of Authorising Officer |
| ACC 22317 MEIR |
| Reason for Authority (Brief Summary for Publication) |
| I believe it is proportionate to use the power under Section 60 to prevent further serious violence taking place in order to protect the public from serious harm, with weapons being carried and used to cause injuries. The intervention will demonstrate to the public that this violence will not be tolerated and that persons carrying weapons will be identified. Through the use of this tactic I want to deter those intent on causing serious violence and so protect public safety. I recognise that a section 60 is an intrusive police power however I believe a failure of the police to act will have even more harmful consequences with further serious violence taking place. We have a positive duty to act in these circumstance under article 2 of ECHR. I am aware that community engagement has taken place and that members of the community are going to be involved in the briefing and operational activity to provide scrutiny and also engage with individuals who may be stopped and searched with the aim of deterring them from carrying weapons and being involved in violent crime. In undertaking the operation, officers taking part must continue to engage all members of the community, especially those stopped, and to alleviate community impact through the continued use of procedural justice approach. This is particularly important given that hostility has been shown towards officers patrolling the area, by some individuals. All officers engaged in the operation are to be briefed and encouraged to proactively apply the following principles in their engagement: Treat all with dignity and respectDemonstrate WMP’s neutrality and motivation (we are here to prevent harm to the community and reduce violence)Give citizens a voice: listen to their (the subject being searched) concerns; even if that listening means absorbing the frustration they may be feeling. I believe the use of section 60 to achieve the legitimate aims of preventing serious violence and to apprehend persons carrying weapons is justified. I authorise the Section 60 power in the specific area described in this application between the hours 17:00hrs 04.02.2022 until midnight 04.02.2022 I am satisfied that the area identified is proportionate and no wider than necessary and relevant to the intelligence picture. I believe the time period is necessary in order to provide a visible early deterrent in the area and to prevent serious violence and apprehend those carrying weapons. |
| Details of OIC (for contact or enquiries) |
| Inspector 0445 SANDHU |
After the Authorised Period
| Number of Stop/Searches Carried Out Under the Authority |
| Outcomes of those Stop/Searches |
| 8 searches conducted under S60 powers. All 8 people subject to dispersal notice. |
