Police pressure refered to IOPC over a number of knife incidents earlier than prepare stabbing
The police force admitted it had been called to three incidents in Peterborough prior to Saturday night’s attack at Huntingdon Station in which 11 people had been treated in hospital
Cambridgeshire Police have said it was called to multiple knife-related incidents prior to Saturday’s mass stabbing on a train in Huntingdon.
On November 1, over 30 police officers – including an armed response unit – raced to Huntingdon train station after passengers aboard a train bound for London hastily alerted emergency services about the stabbing spree unfolding around them.
A total of 11 people had been treated in hospital but one – a member of LNER rail staff – remains in a life-threatening condition. Detectives have reviewed the CCTV from the train and said it is clear his actions were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved many people’s lives.
The police force admitted it had been called to three incidents in Peterborough prior to Saturday night’s attack at Huntingdon Station. And it admitted officers didn’t even visit the scene on one occasion. Police in London were also called to investigate a stabbing in the early hours of the morning before the incident, but no-one was detained.
Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement released just hours after Anthony Williams, 32, appeared in court charged with eleven counts of attempted murder that three knife-related incidents happened on Friday and Saturday.
In a statement, the force said: “We are aware of three incidents that occurred in Peterborough on Friday evening (31 October) and Saturday morning (1 November). The first incident of a man with a knife at a barbers in Fletton happened at 7.25pm on Friday but was reported to us at 9.10pm – two hours after the incident occurred.
“At the time of reporting the man was no longer there and had not returned, so we did not send officers, but a crime was raised. The second incident was reported to us at 9.25am on Saturday again by the barbers in Fletton while the man was still at the scene.
“Officers were deployed to the location and arrived within 18 minutes. Upon searching the area, officers were unable to locate the man or identify him and a crime was raised. There was also a third incident that police also believe may be linked which also happened on Friday 31 October at 7.10pm, where a 14-year-old was stabbed by a man with a knife in the city centre.
“They were taken to Peterborough City Hospital with minor injuries and were later discharged. The offender had left the scene when the call was made and despite a search of the area by officers and a police dog, the offender was not identified.
“A crime was raised and an investigation commenced, with scenes of crime attending. We are currently reviewing all incidents in the timeframe to understand whether there were any further potential offences. British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents.
“We voluntarily referred ourselves to the IOPC for independent scrutiny of these incidents, as is standard practice in these cases.”
Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed abode appeared in court charged with eleven counts of attempted murder following the attacks on Saturday.
Williams appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court this morning. He has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession with a bladed article in Cambridgeshire.
Williams was also charged with one count of attempted murder in London in the early hours of Saturday, November 1, and possession of a bladed article in relation to the incident. He has been remanded to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1.
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