Armed West Mercia Police detain two men after Oswestry swoop

Officers carrying firearms and Tasers arrested two men after 11am, and have detained them near the Barclays Bank branch close to The Cross.

Undercover police cars were seen mounting the pavement in the opposite direction of the usually one-way street after the incident, which was believed to be at the Barclays branch. 

Police lead a suspect away in Oswestry. Picture by Paul Davies.

Local eye-witnesses said the police sprung into action by approaching The Cross via Willow Street, again driving against the one-way system to apprehend the men.

One person said: "I was in a nearby coffee shop and there was a huge commotion.

"Two men came out of Barclays Bank and were quickly tackled by undercover police who had their Tasers out ready. 

"Then another unmarked police car arrived and that's when they came out with the guns.

"They were there for about 30 minutes and then they were replaced by uniform officers."

Another onlooker said: "I was out on my lunch break. 

"It looked like the bank was still in use and people were still using the ATM.

"You could see the police had handguns and then the police van door opened and they had someone in a blue and white suit and his hands were bagged.

"He also had a hood on."

A suspect is led away. Picture by Paul Davies.

A local stallholder for the town's market day, Alicia West, said: "It was over very quickly, the police were very quick.

"I think the police obviously knew what was going on.

"They got the people down on the ground very quickly, and they were gone by around 11.10am."

Another trader, Sian Dunnelley, added: "I heard shouting and I saw police officers jump on top of two people.

"They had Tazers and jumped on them.

"It happened very quickly, the police were on the scene instantly."

One eyewitness described the incident as “terrifying”, meanwhile another said that they could not see the incident for police.

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "There was a planned police operation in the area with no wider risk to the public.

"A number of people have been arrested as part of the operation."