Police have been granted the power to stop and search anyone they please throughout a large portion of Merton.

Under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, a Section 60 gives officers the right to search people in a defined area during a specific time period when they believe serious violence will take place and it is necessary to use this power to prevent such violence.

In this instance, that period of time is from 1pm today until 3am tomorrow morning.

Police have said that they are using the Section 60, which has been authorised by Inspector Whitehead, "in order to prevent serious violence."

Below is a list of all the areas the stop and search covers:

  • Colliers Wood
  • Graveney
  • Figges Marsh
  • Lavender Fields
  • Pollards Hill
  • Cricket Green
  • Longthornton