Neighbourhood policing team prevent serious incident in Northampton town centre

A quick response from Northampton’s Neighbourhood Policing Team resulted in a potentially serious incident being prevented.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, February 19, a group of men believed to be carrying noxious substances were spotted in Northampton town centre.

Working closely with CCTV operators, officers from Northampton’s Neighbourhood Policing Team were deployed to the incident, with one of the men spotted in Weedon Road with a Lucozade bottle.

As the officers approached him, he discarded the bottle which was later found to contain a corrosive substance believed to be hydrochloric acid.

The man – 21-year-old Boaz Odane, of no fixed abode, was arrested and subsequently charged with possession of a corrosive substance.

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Kath Jeffries said: “This is an example of some really good, proactive neighbourhood policing which could have prevented a much more serious incident from taking place.

“It was a real team effort to secure this charge and I’d like to thank everyone involved including those who detained Odane, those who interviewed him, and those who worked 15-hour shifts to ensure the case could be sent to the CPS that day.

“Neighbourhood policing is all about having our eyes and ears close to the ground, being plugged into our communities, and ensuring we are ready to respond to anything that threatens the safety of the residents we serve.

“I hope this piece of work reassures our communities of that determination and I want to make it clear that we will continue working hard to make our town as safe as possible.”

Boaz Odane pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a corrosive substance when he appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court last week (February 20). He was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for 12 months.