Section 60 enacted in Nightingales in Newbury following organised crime incident exploiting vulnerable person

A Section 60 order has been put in place in Newbury this evening (Monday).

The order was enacted by Thames Valley Police (TVP) at the Nightingales estate.

This follows an incident of organised crime exploiting a vulnerable person.

The order will be in place for 24 hours and is due to expire at 5pm tomorrow (Tuesday).

The order will be reviewed tomorrow and may be extended for another 24 hours.

A Section 60 order can only be put in place in a defined area at a specific time when a senior officer believes there is a possibility of serious violence, or weapons being carried.

It temporarily enhances powers for officers, meaning they can stop and search anyone in a designated area.

Inspector Matt Gow, based at Newbury police station, said: “We have put this Section 60 order in place in a specific area of Newbury to prevent potential violence around a county drugs line.

“The order will give our officers extra powers to carry out stop and search activity, and has been enacted for the safety of the public.

“These are emergency powers and the threshold to implement them is very high, however we are using them to keep our communities safe.

“We are working with partners to protect these individuals and to catch the offenders, but this allows us to use all the powers at our disposal to respond to immediate concerns raised by the community.

“We know some people think telling you about the Section 60 inhibits our ability to catch those responsible.

“However it is just as important that we prevent incidents of serious violence occurring.”

He added: “We will deal with those offenders, but we also want to prevent them from committing crime in the first place.

“You will see more police officers in the area while the order is in place and we expect to carry out more stop and searches than usual.

“If you are stopped by an officer, please do not be worried as this does not mean that you are in trouble.

“If you are in the area and have any concerns, you can speak to any of our officers who will be on patrol throughout this evening and tomorrow.”