A fight took place in Beeston last night with two groups of people fighting with machetes and metal poles in the streets, leading to police being granted more powers.
These take the form of enhanced stop and search powers. West Yorkshire Police deployed armed police to the scene in the vicinity of Upper Woodview Place and Woodview Street and two men, aged 26 and 32 were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.
Officers were called to the scene at 9:17pm on Sunday 17 July. There are currently no reports of any injuries and detectives from Leeds District CID are investigating.
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Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 allows the police to search people or vehicles for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments without them having to have their usual grounds to suspect each person searched. It is hoped this will "deter and detect" the carrying of weapons.
The order came into effect at 11:04pm last night and will be in place for an initial 16 hours and is undergoing review today. It is in place in the area bordered by Dewsbury Road, Tempest Street and Rowland Road.
Chief Inspector Pete Hall, of Leeds District, said: “This kind of violent behaviour involving weapons cannot be tolerated and we will be continuing to do everything we can to identify those responsible and to take positive action against them.
“We recognise that an incident of this nature will cause understandable concern in the community and officers from the local neighbourhood policing team will be increasing their presence in the area to reassure people.
“We are working proactively to deter any further incidents including the use of additional search powers under Section 60. This gives officers an increased ability to target those involved in carrying weapons so we can prevent any further offences.
“Scrutiny and accountability are key factors to ensure the trust and confidence of our communities, and we are working closely with local representatives to keep them fully updated.”
If you witnessed the fight or have any information, you can contact the police at 101 quoting crime reference 13220389886 or online via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555 111.
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