Essex Police deploys knife arch in Colchester city centre

The OpenGate technology was deployed in Head Street, Colchester Town Railway Station and the bus station in Osborne Street.

Essex Police said 275 people passed through it on Saturday with “only a handful” of people refusing.

Det Supt Gary Biddle said no weapons were identified during the day of action.

Proactive - police officers engage with youngsters at Colchester's bus station (Image: Essex Police)

He said: “The OpenGate technology we’re able to deploy is innovative and effective in detecting weapons.

“On this occasion I’m pleased to say no weapons were identified.

“Where someone refuses to go through, we engage with them to talk about the technology and the issue of carrying weapons.

“This often leads to really productive and educational conversations, which was the case yesterday.

Initiative - the knife arch was deployed near Colchester Town station (Image: Essex Police)

“It’s just one of the tools we have at our disposal to tackle knife crime and raise awareness of the dangers of carrying a weapon.”

The action came after the Gazette revealed the number of criminals carrying weapons in Colchester increased over the past year.

Essex Police data shows 157 weapons possession offences were recorded in the city in the year to June.

Speaking previously to the Gazette, Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said the numbers are up because “proactive” police officers are catching more criminals.

In place - the knife arch was deployed at three locations across the city centre (Image: Essex Police)

“They are making arrests and that is having a deterrent effect and this will have an impact,” he said.

“In Colchester we see between 30 to 40 knife crime investigations a month. Each one is one too many.

The chief constable hailed the impact of Operation Grip, which uses scientific evidence to highlight crime hotspots in Colchester.

Police chiefs use the data to ramp up patrols in areas most affected by high harm crime.

Pledge - Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington has vowed to combat knife crime in Essex (Image: Essex Police)

In Colchester, four hotspots have been identified by officers as being most likely to see more serious crime.

They are High Street, the Dutch Quarter, Essex University and the Vineyard Street area, including Osborne Street, St Botolph’s Street, Short Wyre Street and Eld Lane.

A separate initiative – hotspot policing – sees daily 15 minute patrols undertaken in Greenstead and Cowdray Avenue.