A video has been shared on Twitter (scroll down for footage) of the moment when Police in Walsall find a large knife on a male who was “not dressed for the weather conditions”.
Despite being just under 17 degrees celsius at the time of the search, the male was wearing a large black puffer jacket.
As one police officer searches the male, another holds the male’s hands to stop him from posing a risk to officer safety and to prevent him from running away.
During the stop and search, the male is compliant and does not offer any resistance – verbally or physically – to the officers.
At around 48 seconds into the video, the officer conducting the search finds a large sheathed hunting knife that appears to have been concealed beneath the suspect’s puffer jacket.
The weapon is thrown to the floor as the officers then place the suspect into cuffs.
It comes two days after the mainstream media – and social media in general – lambasted two Metropolitan Police officers for searching a male who was wearing a large puffer jacket during the recent spell of warm weather.
The man was stopped and searched in what the Met described as “an area well known for drug dealing” in Croydon on Wednesday.
Partial footage – recorded by the male who was searched by the Met officers – shared on TikTok, which has been viewed more than 400,000 times, shows one officer saying to the man, “you’re not dressed for the climate”.
Another officer added the man’s outfit, “just seems odd”.
Individuals who carry drugs, knives and other weapons on the streets will often wear bulky and heavy clothing to conceal any weapons or drugs which they might be carrying.
This is why officers will often take notice of individuals who are in areas that are known for high levels of knife-enabled and drug-related crime who also happen to be wearing bulky clothing in warm weather conditions.
Responding to the footage of the stop and search where an officer found a knife on the male they were searching, one social media user commented:
“16 degrees in Coventry. Wearing a big puffer jacket. Stopped and searched by police. BIG KNIFE. Is the penny dropping, yet?’.
Responding to the mainstream media’s coverage of the stop and search in London, a statement from the Met said the man subjected to the search was “wearing several layers of clothing despite the warm weather” and that he “became hostile and refused to account for what he was doing” after being approached by officers.
He was detained and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act and he “went on his way” when nothing was found.
Det Ch Supt Lee Hill said the force was aware of the footage, adding:
“This shows only a small part of this incident and we would ask people not to rush to judgement.
“In this instance a formal complaint has been received and is being handled in accordance with the Police Reform Act. This will include a review of all the available footage, including the officer’s body-worn video.
“Our officers have to conduct themselves in the most challenging of circumstances and it is right their actions should be subject to public scrutiny.”
If you have got a story, get in touch with our news desk by sending us an email
Before you go...
WE NEED YOUR HELP. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative 'anti' bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
