Police have warned the public of a massive water fight that has been planned to take place on Friday (April 1) after school, outside the Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth, and have urged parents and carers in the area to make sure their children do not attend.
A message inviting schoolchildren in Wandsworth and Merton to attend the April Fools water fight has been going around on social media, prompting police to issue a dispersal order until 9pm this evening.
Police will be boosting their presence in the area in an attempt to deter children from attending the water fight, while body cameras and CCTV footage will be used to identify any offenders.
READ MORE: McDonald’s in Walthamstow forced to switch to takeaway after school due to children’s ‘horrific’ behaviour
The police have also said the deployment of extra officers aims to remove or reduce “the likelihood of members of the public in the locality being harassed, alarmed or distressed”, or the “occurrence in the locality of crime or disorder”.
Inspector Graham Norman from the Metropolitan Police’s South West Youth Engagement Team said: “We would ask parents, carers, and schools to dissuade children from attending the venue and avoid getting involved in any such activity.
“Water fights, although sounding innocent enough and sounding fun, often turn into violence with children being injured. They also attract people who wish to harm or rob children as the perpetrators of these crimes know that there will be a large gathering of potential victims”.
The inspector also urged parents to remind their children that a water fight may be an “offence under the public order act and that throwing water at somebody can be assault or cause criminal damage”.
Want more news from MyLondon? Sign up to our free newsletters here.
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/parents-warned-after-schoolchildren-plan-23564863
