In response to recent incidents of violent disorder in the Strangeways area of Manchester city centre, police from the City of Manchester district have today made the decision to implement Section 60 powers under the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.
The disruption tactic follows multiple incidents of violent disorder over the past couple of weeks including an incident yesterday evening (22 December) in which a male was assaulted by a group of men during a large-scale fight involving men wielding weapons including machetes back in November.
A Section 60 order can be implemented in areas where either serious violence has occurred or police believe serious violence is about to occur and gives officers the power to stop and search anyone in a designated location, looking for offensive weapons or bladed articles.
Officers patrolling the Strangeways area are able to stop and search anyone while Section 60 is in use. This began at 3pm today and will remain in place for a 24-hour period, with the potential to be extended.
A Dispersal Order also come into force in the Strangeways area from 3pm today until 9pm on 24 December 2021. This order can also be extended.
A Dispersal Order gives police officers the power to require people to leave the area or face arrest, or be returned to their home address if they are engaged in ASB or disorder.
Superintendent Helen Critchley of GMP’s City of Manchester division said: “The threshold to implement a Section 60 power is high and bringing these powers into place is not a decision we take lightly.
“This area is particularly busy in the lead up to Christmas and following incidents of serious violence in the vicinity we feel it absolutely necessary to implement to ensure our communities are kept safe.
“Violence of this kind is completely unacceptable and will simply not be tolerated and I hope by us bringing in these preventative measures it will clearly demonstrate to the community that we are committed to tackling this type of reckless and needless crime.
“S60 powers will include ‘S60AA removal of disguises’. This will be done in a manner which takes account of Covid-19 and prioritises the safety of officers and members of the public.
“I would encourage anyone who sees anything suspicious or has any information that could assist us to come forward and speak with police. Either speak to police on the street or call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.”
