Man detained under Mental Health Act after St Helens Central arrest

As the Star reported on Friday, eyewitnesses saw a squad of police officers – a number of whom were carrying guns - descended on the station’s entrance off Shaw Street shortly after 1pm.

Officers detained a man outside the station

They pinned a man on the ground before leading him away to a police car as shocked witnesses looked on.

Police confirmed that they arrested a man who was suspected to have had a gun on him.

A 27-year-old man from St Helens was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm.

He was taken to a police station for questioning.

A man was arrested on Friday

No firearm had been found, police said and no person was injured and no wider threat posed to the public.

A Merseyside Police spokesman has confirmed that a man has since been detained under the Mental Health Act.

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A witness who saw the dramatic scenes unfold on Friday said: “I was walking around town on my lunch break and spotted a couple of police cars near the Friend’s Meeting House.

“I presumed it was some kind of run of the mill operation but the next minute a number of police cars – marked and unmarked – pull up at the station entrance.

“There were shouts of get back, get back to people at the station and a man was then grabbed and pinned down on the ground and then led away to a police a car."

Police outside the station on Friday where they made an arrest

The witness added: “You could clearly see some of the officers were carrying firearms. It appeared to be something major going on.

“There were more than 10 police officers there, some in uniform and some in plain clothes. It’s certainly not what you expect to see in St Helens on your lunch break.”