AN ARREST has been made and a weapon seized following a police patrol in Colchester.

Essex Police officers, who were joined by Colchester councillors and MP Will Quince, have checked 30 licensed premises in the town centre last night.

As a result, two small amounts of cannabis were also seized and nine stop and search warrants carried out.

The town centre team officers are deployed in town every Friday and Saturday and stay out until everyone has gone home after their nights out.

During the patrol, officers visited lively venues in town to find out about the measures in place to keep customers safe.

This comes after a number of reports of suspected drink spiking have been reported in Colchester since August.

Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston, Colchester's district commander, said: “I can assure you that when you are out in Colchester town centre, my officers will also be there to keep you safe and, should incidents happen, they will be there to respond.

“We take all incidents of drink spiking extremely seriously and we have launched a co-ordinated response with venues, the local authority, the NHS and voluntary organisations.

“It is important to note drink spiking incidents are very rare but we would always urge people who are out enjoying our lively town centre to look out for each other.

“It is never the fault of a drink spiking victim, and indeed our focus is on catching the perpetrators of this dangerous crime, but there are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk of having your drink spiked such as never taking a drink that you haven’t seen being prepared in front of you, never leaving your drink unattended, even for a moment, and if it doesn’t taste right, don’t finish it.

“The top priority of everyone involved is the safety of the people using pubs and clubs across the county.”