A TEENAGE boy has now been charged after reports a man was robbed at knifepoint and chased in Southend High Street.

Police were called with reports of a designer coat and bag being stolen after the victim was threatened with a knife in Southend High Street at around 4.40pm last Monday.

The victim also reported being chased by the suspects, who continued to threaten him with the knife.

Two teenagers and an 18-year-old man were arrested within 20 minutes of the reports.

Now, police have confirmed a 16-year-old boy has been charged with robbery and possession of a Class B drug.

The 18-year-old and another 16-year-old were both bailed.

This comes as officers across Essex arrested 138 people during half-term last week, focusing on knife crime and anti-social behaviour.

Superintendent Phil Stinger said: “More than 1,200 of our officers were involved in this activity.

“It is a countywide effort – we need all our staff working together, supported by the public providing really vital information and following our crime prevention advice.

“This is just one week of 52 a year we spend taking knives off our streets and keeping our towns and cities safe. We’re already hard at work doing it all again today.”