A man was arrested in Wisbech yesterday after police caught him with a steel plated baton.

The telescopic baton is banned from being carried in a public place and the man was spotted by a PCSO, Andy Bush and PC Dave Stevens whilst they were out on foot patrol in the town.

A police spokesman praised the actions of PC Stevens “one of our newest officers”.

The telescopic truncheon is a regular truncheon that has been built to automatically extend once you click a button or spring to release it.

You are not banned from possessing them on private property but anyone owning one of them would find it hard to offer a reasonable excuse for possession in public.

Not everyone believes they should be banned in public.

On the Policing Fenland Facebook page, a former Wisbech town councillor Robert Mclaren said “Surely if it’s not a knife or a gun and it’s hidden, people who have to walk the streets should have their own protection?