A councillor fears “someone is going to die” but says she is “thankful” for the police’s response to the threat of knife crime in Borehamwood.

Cowley Hill ward councillor Michelle Vince and her Labour colleagues have been in discussions with the police in the town within the last few weeks with an inspector in Hertsmere admitting his team had seen an “increase” in the number of assaults in the Borehamwood area.

Police have confirmed to the Times that it has received reports of assaults involving weapons in Borehamwood this year.

Last week, officers were granted special powers to stop and search anyone in particular areas of the town without a reason to do so. Six people were searched, two arrests were made, and no weapons were found.

On Thursday, officers were given search powers again and could also ask someone to leave an area and ban them from returning for a certain amount of time.

Cllr Vince said: “We are asking police to work wonders with limited resources but they have been so supportive, I couldn’t be more thankful to Insp Mark Bilsdon for how he has reacted to these concerns and what he has been able to implement.

“Since the orders were granted, the Leeming Road area has been a lot quieter. Before then, we had incidents almost everyday so we are delighted that people can feel safer going down to the shops.

“With the way it was going, I thought someone was going to end up dying. I’ve heard about young people being threatened, sometimes at knifepoint. We have youths coming in from other towns who are carrying knives - I would describe it as an insurgence. I'm thankful searches on local boys haven't found any weapons.

“We have had problems in the past but we really don’t want knife crime on our doorstep.”

Inspector Bilsdon said last week’s operation was as a result of intelligence which suggested a risk of disorder involving weapons.

He said: “In the past couple of months, we have seen an increase in the number of reports regarding assaults involving a group of people known to each other in the Borehamwood area.

“Last week we received intelligence to suggest that there was an increased risk of further disorder, potentially involving weapons. In order to safeguard those involved, as well as the wider community, a decision was made to invoke the additional powers under Section 60.

“While Borehamwood does not have a chronic knife crime issue, one weapon on Hertsmere’s streets is one too many.

“We are committed to cracking down on knife-related disorder and crime by linking in with our partners, and are working hard to ensure Hertsmere continues to be a great place to live, work and visit.”