Witnesses are being sought following three serious incidents which took place in Bournemouth on Sunday 14 January during a 90-minute period, with a man with a knife having been arrested.

Dorset Police received a report at around 8pm that a man had approached a woman at a bus stop in Poole Road, near to Netherhall Gardens, and assaulted her before stealing her mobile phone. It was reported the man made off down Poole Road and into Queen’s Road.

Another report was received at around 9pm that two women were approached by a man in the Central Gardens near to the Avenue Road Car Park and he allegedly threatened them with a knife before stealing their watches.

While officers were in the area making enquiries, a further report was received at around 9.30pm of another incident in the gardens in the area of Queen’s Road where a man had been threatened by another man who was believed to be in possession of a knife, but nothing had been stolen.

Following searches in the area, a 41-year-old Bournemouth man was detained and was reportedly found to be in possession of a knife. He was arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Detective Sergeant Shane Grant, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Our enquiries into these incidents remain ongoing and I am keen to hear from any witnesses who may be able to assist our investigation.

“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have captured any relevant dashcam or mobile phone footage from the areas of Poole Road and Bournemouth Gardens during the relevant time periods.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55240007153. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.