Angry parents take to Facebook over police handling of "fight" in Wootton

Concerned parents and Wootton residents have blasted the police over the handling of an alleged fight.

Officers were called to a park off Folkes Road on after reports one of the boys was armed with what looked like a meat cleaver.

However, during the search, only a large comb was found.

But the incident has sparked an angry response from parents on social media.

One person said the police ran at the boys, adding: “They could have walked into that park, the 10 of them and not ran at the boys. Yes, the boys admit running initially but I don't blame them tbh and they all decided to stop and had the officers shouting threats to Taser if they didn't stop.”

While another said: “Wow … sorry your boy was targeted in such a way over an afro comb.”

When Bedford Today contacted Bedfordshire Police, Inspector Ed Finn from the community policing team said: “We were called at around 8.30pm on Sunday, June 5 to reports a group of teenagers were fighting in a park off Folkes Road, Wootton.

“One of the boys was reported to be armed with a knife which looked like a meat cleaver.

“Officers attended and based on the description of the person with the knife, a teenage boy was handcuffed and subject to a stop and search.

“During the search, officers recovered a large comb with a metal handle, which from a distance may have been mistaken for a knife by the member of the public who contacted us.

“Officers then took the boy home and no further action was taken.

“The incident has been captured on body-worn video and the officer in question has fully documented their actions.

“We have independent panels made up of community members who scrutinise our use of force and stop and search, who also provide an extra layer of transparency around how we use these important police powers.”