Merseyside Police has introduced a section 60 today for the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in Southport

Merseyside Police can confirm it will be policing a ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in Southport later today (Sunday 26 October).

It is expected there will be a counter demonstration, and we have actively sought to engage with both parties so that the law is upheld and all are able to exercise their rights to gather peacefully.

As part of our plans for the operation, we have worked alongside our partners to ensure any disruption to local communities and businesses is kept to a minimum.

Officers will be deployed for the duration of the march, as part of the policing operation a Section 60 order will be introduced.

It will give officers additional powers to search people who are suspected of involvement in criminality and disorder.

The order runs from 11am until 6pm on Sunday and extra officers will be in the area throughout this period to provide a visible presence,.

This is not to restrict the right to protest but provides officers with an additional tool to robustly prevent crime or serious violence.

The Section 60 Order covers the area bounded in the map and includes Marine Drive, Victoria Way, Duke Street, Shakespeare Street, St James Street, Scarisbrick Road, Ash Street, Forest Road, Ivy Street, Tithebarn Road, Norwood Avenue, Roe Lane, Leyland Road, Promenade and Fairways.

The Order, under S60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, gives officers enhanced stop and search powers to stop individuals in the area, stop and search vehicles and seize any dangerous items or items used to conceal a person's identity.

The focus of our policing operation is to ensure that residents, visitors and people who work in the area can go about their business as usual, and we encourage any individual who attends the relevant gathering to behave responsibly.

If you do witness any criminality on Sunday, please contact Merseyside Police on X or Facebook at @MerPolCC, via our website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ by calling 101. In an emergency, always call 999.