A teenager who was seen acting suspiciously by shopping centre security staff was caught carrying two weapons in Wisbech town centre.
The 16-year-old from Wisbech, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in Somers Road, on February 27 after police received a report of two people potentially with weapons at the nearby Horsefair Shopping Centre.
Officers searched the area and came across the boy, who matched one of the descriptions given by security officers, along with a man and woman in a gated-off area next to the White Lion Hotel.
As police told the boy he was about to be searched, he took his coat off and handed it to the woman, however, officers spotted a police-style baton sticking out of an inside pocket, as well as a “Rambo” style knife.
The teenager was charged with being in possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and being in possession of a bladed article in a public place, both of which he admitted in court.
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He appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (April 29) where he was sentenced to an eight-month youth referral order – the first community sentence given to most first-time young offenders.
It will require him to attend a youth offender panel comprising two members of the local community and an advisor from a youth offending team, where they will agree a contract of commitments.
PC Ryan Windass said: “This was a great spot by security officers who acted on their instincts and reported their concerns to us straight away.
“We were able to intervene before the weapons could be used and potentially cause serious harm to someone.”
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