Man from St Helens arrested after carrying a crossbow in public
The suspect was spotted by an off-duty police officer
Last updated 27th Oct 2025
A 50-year-old man from St Helens has been arrested after being spotted carrying a crossbow in public.
The sighting was reported at 7.50am on Sunday, 26th October, by an off-duty Merseyside Police officer in the Victoria Avenue area of Widnes.
The officer alerted their colleagues in Cheshire Police, prompting armed officers to respond swiftly. The man was located nearby with a crossbow concealed inside a bag. Fortunately, the weapon was not loaded.
At 8.20am, officers arrested the man on suspicion of possessing a firearm. He remains in custody and is assisting police with their investigation.
Chief Inspector Fez Khan from Armed Policing expressed gratitude to the officers involved, saying:
"The decision to take a walk with a crossbow in your hand, thinking you will not get armed police officers running at you and detaining you is either very brave or very foolish as it will always result in a trip to our custody suites.
"I would like to thank our officers for their swift action in responding to this incident as well as our off-duty colleague from Merseyside who was in the right place at the right time and reported this to us."