On Friday, two men were stabbed in a series of fights. One was left with stab wounds to the neck and stomach after being attacked by a zombie knife at the Marine Parade around 8pm. He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A bloody knife on the spot Another man was stabbed and given first aid at the scene. Beach businessman Paul Thompson claimed police had lost control of the crowd that had gathered along the Eastern Esplanade by 4pm. “It was anarchy. “It’s the first hot summer day and the police have lost control of Southend Beach,” he said. A man receives help “Gangs of young people were taking large quantities of weeds, laughter gases and other drugs. “There were thousands of people and fights were taking place everywhere, but I could count the number of police officers with one hand.” Mr Thompson was forced to close two of his businesses – Pebbles One Café and Spar’s – to send staff home to keep them safe. The Ye Olde Fish and Chip Shop, also owned by Mr. Thompson, was closed and turned into a temporary relief station, with paramedics repairing victims of the ongoing violence. An Essex police spokesman said police had been evacuated from other areas in Southend over the weekend. Police have given police increased powers to stop and search for suspects in response to beach chaos. Police also used a dispersal order, which gave police the power to direct people suspected of causing or causing unrest to leave the area. Speaking on Saturday, Chief Inspector David Miles of Essex Police said: “We will continue to use all our police powers to make Southend safer – this includes Unit 60 and dispersal orders. We will take action against anyone who intends to cause harm and we have made arrests in connection with a robbery and the seizure of a knife last night. “Investigations into a number of incidents are also ongoing. I want to be very clear – we will be out in numbers and we will not tolerate people who endanger the public and if you are thinking of coming to Southend and creating problems, think again. Essex police are calling for witnesses to come. If you have any information, you can submit a report online at www.essex.police.uk or use the Live Chat button to talk to a webmaster between 7am and 11pm. Please report incident 1371 of 17 June. You can also call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
