Police conference discussing details of the shooting in Preston
Police held a press conference following the shooting in Preston this morning.
Supt Steve Rides spoke to reporters about the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Police also delivered a message of reassurance to member of the public in Preston stating that this was a singular occurrence.
Supt Steve Rides spoke to reporters about the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Police also delivered a message of reassurance to member of the public in Preston stating that this was a singular occurrence.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 So I'm Superintendent Steve Rydes, I'm the Operations Manager at Preston Police Station.
00:05 Can you tell us a little bit about what's happened this morning please?
00:10 Yeah, we received a call around 9 o'clock this morning down in the London Road area of Preston
00:15 of a report of a firearm discharge. Officers attended, secured the roads and we apprehended a male
00:21 who is currently under arrest at the police station.
00:24 Can you tell us where, I know you said the London Road area, was it in a premises, was it in a business, was it on the street?
00:31 It was on the street towards Salmon Street junction and some off-duty officers were on the way to a recon base
00:40 and they identified a male and apprehended him.
00:43 What sort of firearms was it and has it been seized?
00:47 Yeah, the firearm was recovered at the scene, it's a blank firing weapon that we understand,
00:54 we're just confirming that with specialist officers at the moment.
00:57 Can you tell us was there a target for this shooting or what was the target?
01:01 No, it's an isolated incident, we are still working on understanding the reason for it
01:06 but as I said, there is a male in custody, we're working on identifying who he is
01:10 and that's the reason for the incident this morning.
01:13 Could there have been any welfare issues to the person arrested, could this have been a self-harm kind of incident or is it something else?
01:22 We're just again, like I say, working on understanding who the suspect is and then we can better understand why the incident occurred.
01:29 Any information as to who the victims were, were they intended targets?
01:33 There are no victims identified at this time, like I say, it was an isolated incident, no response whatsoever to the rest of the community.
01:41 And is that meant to be the motive?
01:44 No, we don't understand what the motive is currently, as I said we are trying to identify the suspect to better understand the motive for the incident.
01:51 So you come on to the dot now, you've got a man in custody but you don't know who he is?
01:56 We're working to confirm his identity, then we can better understand the reason for the incident.
02:02 Is the suspect somebody who may be known to the police?
02:05 Again, we are working to identify who he is, at that point we will better understand whether he's known to us previously.
02:13 How confident are you that this won't happen again?
02:16 Absolutely confident, no one arrested the community this morning, like I said, isolated incident and we are very confident that the rest of the community is not on the run.
02:28 Can you tell us how people have reacted in the local community at the scene down there, so it's not something they will have experienced before?
02:37 No, we've spoken to a number of members of the community and key community members, no concerns raised by anybody, everybody's really happy with the police response and the incident conclusion.
02:48 People waking up to the news of an incident involving a firearm in Lancashire and Preston, it's not something you hear often, is it important to reiterate just how serious you take this type of crime?
02:57 Yeah, we take it very seriously, obviously in this case it is a blank firearm weapon, we do believe, which obviously minimises that risk to the public, but clearly we are treating it very seriously, we have a full investigation team on the incident to identify the suspect and to formally look at charging him with an offence.
03:15 How come the cordon around the area was kept up for quite a while after the arrest was made?
03:22 That's just part of our forensic strategy, so that's where we are looking to identify any evidence that will support us when we are looking at potentially prosecuting the suspect.
03:32 What progress has been obtained at the scene?
03:35 The investigation is ongoing, there's a number of lines of inquiry and that's all I can tell you at the moment, but we did recover the firearm at the time of the arrest.
03:45 Do you believe this could be linked to any other incidents or offences?
03:49 No, we are confident in terms of the initial investigation we've made that there are no further links to any wider people or groups etc.
03:58 And I suppose a message then to people who may be concerned that incidents involving firearms is creeping into our community?
04:05 Please be reassured that this is not the case, this is isolated. We have put a reassurance patrol plan in place so you may see some increased police presence, that's just to reassure the community.
04:14 All I would ask is if anybody has seen or heard anything or they have got a dash cam etc. of the incident, please contact us.
04:22 The log number is 231 of the 27th of February, you contact 101 and provide the information and one of our investigation team will be in touch.
04:31 In terms of firearms, has there been any identification in terms of the firearms that were used in previous incidents?
04:38 No, this is a blank firing weapon we do believe, but like I say specialist officers are just confirming that.
04:43 You're not looking for anyone else involved?
04:46 No, isolated incidents.