700 stop and searches carried out in Essex

13 August 2019, 08:24 | Updated: 13 August 2019, 08:28

Nearly 700 stop and searches have been carried out in Essex since June as part of the fight against knife crime.

Essex Police say they have carried out more than 80 operations to tackle knife crime and serious violence in public places across the county.

They secured £1.76 million from the Home Office in April to invest in their ongoing fight against serious violence.

The money has been used to continue Operation Sceptre Essex - a targeted crackdown on knife crime.

There have been more than 378 arrests of people on suspicion of a variety of offences, including possession of weapons and possession of drugs with intent to supply.

Chief Superintendent Tracey Harman said: "Every day we have officers out across the county tackling violent crime and knife crime.

"This includes extra patrols, using stop and search powers, and gathering intelligence to help us target offenders.

"Information from the public is also really important in helping us identify offenders, as we can only tackle these issues as a community."