A SECURITY guard told how he stepped in to help a schoolboy who was robbed at knifepoint by two teenagers.

Wayne Callaghan was on patrol with his colleagues in Western Esplanade, Westcliff, when he spotted a distressed youngster sat on the floor.

When the doormen approached the boy, believed to be 15-years-old, he revealed two robbers have pulled a knife and a screwdriver on him – before stealing his phone.

Mr Callaghan, 35, said: “We were working at a venue and there was a young lad who looked distressed and in shock, he was about 15-years-old.

“He said he’d just had his phone stolen by two lads with a screwdriver and a knife.

“He pointed them out to us, so we went over. It was a tricky situation.

“We have a duty of care to the public, but we don’t have the same powers as the police so we can’t search people.

“But a few of us kept the suspects talking after radioing in to the police, but one of them kept disappearing over the sea wall.

“He was hiding something.”

Police soon arrived at the scene and began searching the area. They discovered a stash of drugs, a knife, screwdriver and the stolen phone behind the wall.

The suspects were arrested.

Mr Callaghan, who runs Southend-based Raven Security, added: “The police were really prompt in turning up. They get a hard time because of the budget cuts, but they responded so quickly you just can’t fault them.

“The following day, the lad came back to thank us.

“We were glad to get the knife off the streets because there has been a high profile of knife crime in Southend.”

The incident, which happened on Saturday April 22, came after a number of vicious crimes involving knives.

A 64-year-old man was threatened with a blade before being knocked unconscious and had his wallet stolen in Southchurch Road, in Southend, at around 1am the night before.

Months earlier, a man threatened a woman with a knife in the same street.

Anyone with information about any of the incidents can call Essex Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.