Police enforce 14-hour stop-and-search order in Chelmsford

The Section 60 order will be in place in Chelmsford for 14 hours and will end at 06:00 GMT on Sunday

Residents of a city will see an increase in police presence after reports of burglaries and robberies.

Essex Police have issued a Section 60 order in Chelmsford, Essex, which will see officers stop and search individuals in the area.

The order will be in place for 14 hours and end at 06:00 GMT on Sunday.

Insp Sam Girdlestone, from Chelmsford Community Policing Team, said: "We are doing all we can to prevent any further offences from taking place."

The Section 60 order will allow police to stop and search people "without reasonable grounds" if an officer believes there to be an incident involving serious violence or a person carrying a dangerous instrument or offensive weapon.

Essex Police has asked members of the public to report any criminality or anti-social behaviour

'Reassure residents'

Insp Girdlestone said there would be an "increased police presence" in the city as officers aim to keep the community safe.

"The vast majority of people will be unaffected by this order - this is the result of the actions of a very small minority of people intent on committing crimes."

He said a Section 60 order would enable officers to "effectively" monitor areas of concern and "prevent" further incidents.

"I would also like to reassure residents that we are doing all we can to prevent any further offences from taking place."

Essex Police has asked members of the public to report any criminality or anti-social behaviour.