A 26-year-old man has been jailed after carrying a knife in Warrington.
Jack Findlay, of Main Street, Cumbernauld, appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where he was jailed for 50 weeks.
This included 26 weeks for possession of a bladed article and possession of cannabis, as well as the activation of a 24-week suspended sentence which was imposed on November 1, by Birmingham and Solihull Magistrates’ Court.
Findlay was originally stopped by security staff in Golden Square Shopping Centre, Warrington, on Tuesday in relation to an unrelated matter.
Officers on deployment in the area were able to assist security staff and after searching Findlay, he was found to be in possession of a folding lock knife and a small quantity of cannabis.
He was subsequently arrested for these offences and later charged, before pleading guilty at court.
Inspector Lee Hillyard of Cheshire Constabulary said: “I welcome the sentence handed to Findlay, who had no choice but to plead guilty in court.
“In the run-up to Christmas, there will be additional officers patrolling in Warrington town centre to reassure residents over the festive period and ensure those committing criminality are dealt with swiftly.
“This case also demonstrates the importance of our Project Servator deployments. Project Servator is a highly visible policing tactic that aims to disrupt a range of criminal activity, while providing a reassuring presence for the public.
“The approach relies on police working with the community – including business, partners, members of the public and security staff – to build a network of vigilance. On this occasion, thanks to our joint working with security staff at Golden Square, officers were able to assist and subsequently arrest Findlay after finding him to be in possession of a bladed article and drugs.
“Project Servator involves carrying out unpredictable deployments that can happen anywhere at any time, utilising a range of resources, such as plain clothes officers.”
