Man arrested for carrying 15in machete on Greater Anglia train in Essex
The curved blade was confiscated during a stop-and-search operation on a Greater Anglia service in Essex.
Monday 21 January 2019 11:46, UK
Police have arrested a man who was found carrying a 15in machete while aboard a train.
The curved blade was confiscated during a stop-and-search operation on a Greater Anglia service between Colchester and Witham in Essex on Sunday night.
Officers drew a Taser during the incident but did not need to use it. The man was arrested on suspicion of two offences and taken into custody for questioning.
British Transport Police (BTP) used the recovery to defend the use of stop-and-search, which has previously been condemned by critics who say it unfairly targets people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
The BTP Essex team tweeted: "This is why #police use #stopandsearch. This 15in machete was found on a man onboard a train tonight between @greateranglia #colchester & #witham in #Essex.
"Our officers boarded the train, detained the man for a search and found this. Taser was drawn but not deployed.
"Needless to say the man was arrested on suspicion of 2 offences and is currently in custody."
The incident comes amid concern over a rise in violent crime in London and other major UK cities - a trend that has continued from last year.
Last week, teenager Jaden Moodie was killed in what police have described as a targeted attack.
The 14-year-old was fatally stabbed in Leyton, Waltham Forest, in east London.
Earlier this month, Lee Pomeroy, 51, was stabbed to death after an argument with another passenger on a train between Guildford and London Waterloo.
In the wake of the killing, BTP Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan insisted that travelling by train "is still an extremely safe thing to do".