Essex Police reached Warrior Square two minutes after a 12.55pm 999 call on Friday 9 October. A man in his 40s was detained and an imitation handgun recovered.

A man was arrested in the Warrior Square area of Southend town centre on Friday lunchtime after reports that he was brandishing what appeared to be a handgun. Essex Police say the weapon recovered was a realistic-looking imitation firearm and that nobody was hurt.

The force’s statement gives the timings (Essex Police, 9 October 2026):

  • at around 12.55pm on Friday 9 October, police received reports of a man behaving erratically in the Warrior Square area before brandishing what appeared to be a handgun
  • officers were on scene by 12.57pm and a man was detained within moments
  • a realistic-looking imitation firearm was recovered
  • no injuries were reported

A man aged in his 40s and from Southend was arrested and, as of Friday afternoon, remained in custody for questioning. The force says officers were already in the area, which is why the response took two minutes.

Detective Sergeant Stacy King of Southend CID said: “We understand incidents like this will understandably cause concern in the community. Our officers were already in the area and were able to respond immediately, with a man detained and the weapon recovered within minutes of the initial call.”

She added: “Our investigation is ongoing and officers remain in the area carrying out enquiries and speaking to witnesses.”

Officers stayed in the area afterwards to speak to witnesses and, in the force’s words, provide reassurance. The force has not published a further update. An arrest is not a charge, and we will report only what Essex Police publishes.

The town centre figures

Warrior Square is a public garden in the town centre, east of the High Street.

The latest street-level data from police.uk, for August 2026, records 1,173 crimes within a mile of the centre of Southend. Eleven of them were possession of weapons offences, down from 24 in July. Violence and sexual offences were the largest category, at 449 (police.uk, street-level crime, August 2026). Police.uk places each report at the nearest street or landmark rather than an exact address, and Warrior Square itself does not appear among the most-mapped locations for the month.

What it means for you

The town centre was not closed and no road closures were ordered. Anyone who saw what happened and has not yet spoken to officers can contact Essex Police on 101 or through its website, quoting the date and Warrior Square. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

We will update this story if Essex Police publishes a charging decision.