A LARGE hunting knife is off the streets following action to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in South East London.

This follows recent reports of a group of teens throwing fireworks at people, buses, businesses and apartments across Canada Water over the weekend.

Officers from the Territorial Support Group have been deployed throughout this week, to show a "strong policing presence" in the Rotherhithe area.

On October 27, officers were on Helena Street, SE16, when they saw two teenage boys acting suspiciously at around 5.40 pm.

Both boys attempted to run from police but following a short chase, they were stopped.

One of the boys, aged 16, was seen to throw a "lethal" knife under a car which was later recovered.

He was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and taken into custody.

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Inspector Lee Barnes of the Territorial Support Group, said: “In the last week, the community of Rotherhithe have reached out to the Met following a number of worrying incidents where youngsters were recklessly playing with fireworks in the Canada Water area.

"This dangerous behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

"My TSG unit was tasked to support local officers and to show a strong policing presence in the area.

“This arrests is a direct result of those patrols.

"I am really pleased to see that a potentially lethal knife has been taken off the streets.

"We will continue to work closely with the residents of Rotherhithe to take tough action against those who carry weapons or cause a blight to their local community.”

The 16-year-old has been released under investigation as enquiries continue.