London shopping centre bans unaccompanied children after mass brawl which injured police officers
17 July 2023, 16:03 | Updated: 17 July 2023, 16:36
Unaccompanied children have been banned from a south London shopping centre after police were injured in a brawl with uncontrolled youths earlier this year.
Children will be barred from entering The Glades in Bromley from next week unless they are with an adult - with security guards recruited to enforce the restrictions.
The Met Police confirmed the move in a letter to local schools which also included details of bans on face coverings such as balaclavas.
Four police officers were injured in April at the centre as the fought with a large group of local youths.
Read More: Police step up patrols in Bromley after multiple reports of children being followed
The restrictions will be enforced from 11am and will come into effect from next Friday in an attempt to curb the disruption that the shopping spot has seen in recent months.
The injured officers said they “anticipated that incidents involving violence may take place” before they were hurt.
The officers' injuries were not life-threatening.
It is not the first incident of youth violence in the south London in recent months, after the borough's high street saw a boy stabbed in broad daylight last summer.
The 16-year-old was stabbed on Bromley High Street after a fight broke out around 3pm on 21 August 2022.
The teen was taken to hospital with injuries, but his condition is not thought to be life-changing or threatening.
A Met Police spokesperson said: "It was reported that one of the group was armed with a machete."
Pictures posted online at the timee showed part of the A222 Widmore Road taped off with police stationed inside the cordon after the incident on Sunday. There appeared to be blood on the floor.
