This is the moment police moved in on groups congregating outside the Job Centre during the tail end of Thornton Heath Festival.

The incident was dealt with extremely professionally with officers calmly moving in without any arrests being made.

Police had sought a dispersal order  which provides them with extra powers to break up groups of two or more people, where they believe their behaviour is causing a nuisance, harassment or distress. The gathering dispersed of its own accord after officers spoke to individuals.

A knife was also found  hidden in a sock  hidden in a tree stump. The festival was extremely good natured  and there were no other issues.

Knife crimes continues to be priority for Thornton Heath Safer Neighbourhood Team who do regular sweeps of the area looking for knife stashes.

In Trumble Gardens last month a five-year-old child playing returned to their mother with a butchers knife found  discarded in the undergrowth. Police were called to dispose of the weapon. Meanwhile in Bensham Manor ward the police priorities are anti social behaviour in Thornton Heath Rec (Melfort Park) and tackling alleged drug dealing in Brook Road.

Croydon Council has installed 10 temporary CCTV cameras in streets across the borough in an attempt to “tackle anti-social behaviour”.

The cameras have been deployed around the borough on an initial three month trial with one covering Brook Road and another in Green Lane, near to where Jermaine Goupall was killed in August 2017.

These are in areas not covered by the existing fixed CCTV network.