LONDON: A total of 11 men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two men were stabbed in Bristol, German news agency (dpa) reported.
The attack happened near Rawnsley Park, Easton, at about 4:40 am (0340 GMT) on Sunday, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Two men in their 20s were taken to hospital with knife wounds, which are no longer believed be life-threatening but one of the men is still in a serious condition.
Officers have now arrested 11 men in relation to the incident, all on suspicion of attempted murder and they are all still in police custody.
Enhanced stop-and-search powers are in place in part of Bristol, which came into force at 7 pm on Sunday and will be in place initially for 24 hours, the force said.
Superintendent Lisa Simpson granted authority to use the powers under Section 60 and Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act on Sunday afternoon.
The powers will allow uniformed officers to stop and search any person or vehicle within a specified area for a weapon in order to prevent seriousviolence.
Simpson said: “We do not underestimate the concerns of the local community following this recent incident of knife crime and serious violence in Bristol.
“It is because of this that we have made the decision to bring in the section 60 powers for our officers.
“A section 60 power authorises officers to stop-and-search an individual if they have suspicions that they may be carrying knives or other weapons which could be used in serious violence in the area.
“Alongside this, they will also have a section 60AA power which allows officers to ask people to remove face coverings if they have reason to believe it is being worn to conceal their identity.”
The authorisation can last for up to 24 hours, after which it may be extended for a further 24 hours by a superintendent.
Officers will still follow usual stop-and-search processes, including explaining why a person has been stopped, recording the interaction on body-worn video, and offering a receipt to the person who has been stopped, the force added.
If you were in the Stapleton Road/Rawnsley Park area between 4:15 am and 5 am on Sunday and witnessed anything suspicious, or have any video footage which could aid the inquiries, call Avon and Somerset Police on 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5224148270. – Bernama, PA Media/dpa
