Leigh Owen Cartey calls for increased knife pole usage

West Leigh councillor, Owen Cartey, has called for an increase in the use of equipment capable of scanning the full body to detect thugs carrying hidden weapons.

He believes police should target Leigh, Chalkwell and Southend Central to combat and deter people travelling into the city to cause chaos.

It comes just weeks after a night of disorder saw violent clashes and machete fights along the seafront and in the High Street, putting off tourists and residents from visiting Southend.

Mr Cartey believes increased usage would reassure residents fearful of potential threats.

He said: “One way we can reassure residents is by increasing the number of knife poles outside key stations like Leigh, Chalkwell and Southend central and pairing them with knife bins.

“It’s better for local families that we take strong action now to prove that Southend is organised and ready for any malicious activity, to deter bad people from outside the city in future.”

He added: “When there is a big issue at the seafront or anywhere something happens, it is about people coming from outside.

“Most people in Leigh and Southend are nice and law-abiding. The big issue is whether it is a mixture of drunk teens bringing weapons, having a bad time or if it is malicious right-wing thugs, people are taking advantage.

“We should be more proactive and less reactive and I think we should focus on the station if we know they are travelling in from London.”

Former Southend West and Leigh MP Anna Firth, who worked to get the state-of-the-art knife poles in Southend, said: “Proactive policing is always going to be cheaper and more effective both in the short and long-term.”

Essex Police emphasised their Op Grip visible patrols, knife arches and OpenGate systems are being deployed regularly.

A spokesman said: “We know the times at which those incidents of violence are likely to take place and the patrols are focused in those times in order to be most effective.”