Woman issued with SVRO following incident in Southport

A woman has been convicted of possession of a knife following an incident in Southport.

Jennifer Bowen, 45, of Back Botanic Road, appeared at Sefton Magistrates Court yesterday, Tuesday 12 September, where she pleaded guilty to the knife offence and also being drunk and disorderly.

She was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, as well as handed a Serious Violence Reduction Order (SVRO) for 12 months.

Courts can grant an SVRO when an adult aged 18 or over is convicted of an offence involving a bladed article or offensive weapon.

On Tuesday 15 August, at around 10.20am, an officer on patrol in the Southport area was approached by members of the public because of Bowen’s erratic behaviour.

When the officer approached Bowen on Chapel Street, he noticed she was in possession of a kitchen knife, which had been placed in her left sleeve.

The officer managed to take the knife from her sleeve, before arresting her on suspicion of possessing a knife in a public place.

Local Policing Inspector Graham Fisher said: “It’s pleasing to see that Bowen is now the subject of a Serious Violence Reduction Order. SVROs allow officers to search individuals for bladed articles, or offensive weapons in a public place.

“This targeted use of stop and search aims to tackle high-risk offenders, known weapons carriers and help drive down reoffending to keep communities safe.

“To carry a knife is extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated anywhere in Merseyside.

“Unfortunately, when Bowen was arrested, the officer was subjected to verbal abuse from some members of the public, who were unaware that she had been in possession of a knife.

“I commend the actions of the officer for taking possession of the knife and also for making the arrest under very difficult circumstances.”

If you have information about someone carrying a knife, or know someone involved in crime, get in touch on social media @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111.