A man has been charged after allegedly trying to prevent a police officer from carrying out a stop and search at a shopping centre in Romford.
Dean Towley, from Saw Mill Way, Hackney, has been charged with obstructing a police officer at the Liberty Shopping Centre yesterday afternoon (August 8).
Police officers patrolling the shopping centre were alerted to a group of shoppers in relation to shoplifting at around 3pm.
After officers detained Towley for a search, the 28-year-old allegedly obstructed the stop and search procedure.
A woman was also stopped and searched at the same time, police said.
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Social media users posted they had also noticed what appear to be metal detectors up at the centre yesterday afternoon, outside Waterstones.
A spokesperson for the Liberty Shopping Centre said: "We are fully supporting the police with their investigations and the centre is operating as usual."
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