Section 60 order in place after Reading stabbing

A Section 60 order has been put in place in Reading after a man was stabbed on Thursday (16/9).

The incident took place in in Queens Walk at around 8.45pm.

The victim, a man in his early twenties, was taken to hospital with superficial injuries, where he remains.

The order has been put in place for 24 hours and will expire at 1.30am on Sunday (18/9).

It applies to areas including Vastern Road in the north, Queen’s Road in the south, Forbury Road in the east and Caversham Road in the west. 

The order gives officers extra powers to stop and search people while an investigation is carried out.

In a statement, Inspector John Yallop said: "I understand that an order of this nature could cause concern, but while it may sound alarming, enhancing our stop and search powers provides us with another tactic to quickly identify and disrupt those carrying weapons.

“If you are stopped by an officer, please do not be worried as this does not mean that you are in trouble.

“You will see more police officers in the area while the order is in place and we expect to carry out more stop and searches than usual.

“Officers who are out and about are there to reassure you as well as using their powers under Section 60 so please do stop and speak with them about any concerns that you have."

Anyone with information, CCTV or dash-cam footage is being asked to contact Thames Valley Police and quote 43220418162.