Oxford Street: Met Police impose dispersal order

Following Mayor Sadiq Khans and the Metropolitan Police’s calls to end ‘nonsense’ on Oxford Street, three men have been detained. 

It comes after the Met shared there would be heightened police in central London after a local social media trend on the event went viral.

Aware of people’s plans, a dispersal order was put in place from 11am on Tuesday to 10am on Thursday, allowing officers to exclude people from the area for 48 hours and arrested anyone not in compliance.

As a result of the dispersal order, three men were detained. 

The incident comes after responses from a shared social media post on Snapchat, according to The Guardian, telling users to join an “Oxford Circus JD robbery’.

A person is detained outside McDonald’s on Oxford Street, central London. (Image: PA)

Oxford Street social media trend sees three detained

In images captured by PA News Agency, two young men have been led away from a fast food restaurant in handcuffs close to a shop rumoured to be the target of social media-organised disorder on London’s Oxford Street.

The targeted shops included an optician and pharmacy which closed their shutters briefly shortly after 3pm as crowds gathered on the busy street to watch the scene.

Oxford Street also saw traffic temporarily brought to a halt and four mounted police officers alongside security personnel tried to disperse onlookers.

Shoppers on the street said that there was a heavy police and security presence on the popular shopping street after rumours of a planned disorder.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “We continue to have a highly visible presence in the Oxford Street area.

“Our officers have issued 11 dispersal orders.

“We will deal robustly with anyone coming to the West End intent on committing crime.”

The social media trend saw one user suggest people were planning to target JD Sports, Primark, Urban Outfitters, Disney and other stores on Oxford Street.