Weapons including BB guns and flick-knives seized in town centre disorder

Staffordshire Police has released a statement regarding the disorder in Cannock on Saturday night, which saw close to 200 men clash at different areas of the town in two incidents.

The first incident saw officers called to an area in the town centre at 5.38pm where a group of 50 men had turned up, but when officers arrived, they found that the group had left the area, with no injuries reported.

The second incident happened at about 7.14pm, with the force receiving reports of around 30 men firing flares and weapons at another group of men outside the Prince of Wales Theatre on Church Street, with reports later suggesting that 100 more men had joined them.

A large group of armed and unarmed officers were dispatched to the scene, with the theatre locked down during the incident, after news of axes and metal poles being involved, alongside reports of gunshots, although no injuries were reported.

Officers at the scene used Section 60 powers to stop and search people in the area and disperse those suspected of being involved in anti-social behaviour, with a knuckleduster, BB guns, flick-knives and a small hand crossbow recovered from the area.

Chief Inspector Laura Morrey, from the Cannock local policing team, sought to reassure the public about the efforts by the force to keep people safe.

She said: “I understand the concern felt by the local community particularly as a result of the speculation which followed, suggesting people had been shot and seriously injured.

“I’d like to reiterate that no one was injured as a result of this disorder and an extensive search was completed to help us find those involved and recover any weapons, involving assistance from dog support and the National Police Air Service.

“This continued to take place for a number of hours until we could confirm that there was no further risk to the public and no dangerous weapons or suspects were still in the area.

“There was concern amongst the community that, due to the amount of time which the helicopter was in the air for, and the presence of armed officers, that there was still a further risk of violence despite these extensive searches.

“Our priority in responding to this incident was making sure that we could best protect those in the area and respond to any eventuality as a precaution.

“I’d like to thank those who have already come forward with information and to the members of the public who acted quickly to establish a place of safety in a building nearby.

“Local officers are continuing to engage with people in the area and provide reassurances whilst our investigation into the incident continues.”

Inquiries are ongoing and Staffordshire Police has asked for anyone with any information which could help with the investigation to get in touch.

Contact can be made by calling 101, quoting incident 765 of May 13, or using Live Chat at staffordshire.police.uk.

To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.