DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a man who was found injured in Northlands Park in Basildon at the weekend have made a fifth arrest and have assured residents in the area that there is no wider risk to the public.

Officers were called to the park at 1.35am on Sunday where they found a man in his 40s with a stab wound to his stomach. He was taken to hospital but later died there.

Four people – a 42 year-old woman, two men aged 41 and 45, and a 15 year-old boy – were all arrested yesterday on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody today.

In the early hours of today, a 38 year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and she is also currently in custody.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Scott Egerton, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Our investigation into this man's murder is progressing well and we are following up on a number of lines of enquiry.

"At this stage we continue to believe all those involved are known to each other and this was a targeted incident. We do not believe there's a wider risk to the public.

"My team will continue to be in the area today and we need anyone who saw anything or has any information about what happened to contact us.

"The information you have could be really valuable to our investigation."

Following the incident, Basildon's top police officer has moved to reassure people who live nearby and use the park.

Chief Inspector Chris Bradford, District Commander for Basildon, said: "I know the incident over the weekend will have concerned many of you, particularly if you live near Northlands Park or use it regularly.

"But I want to reassure you that this type of tragic incident is extremely rare and that Basildon remains a safe place. In the year to the end of June, we saw 10 percent fewer violence with injury offences across the district. That's more than 180 fewer incidents.

"It also works out as fewer than nine people victims of this type of crime per 1,000 who live here.

"And as around a third of violent crime is drug or gang related, around a third is related to the night-time economy, and around a third is domestic abuse-related, it means you're really unlikely to become a victim here.

"Added to this our Op Raptor, Disruptor, and Town Centre Teams are working hard to identify those selling drugs and carrying out disorder and tackling those issues."

If you have any information you can submit a report online via this link where you can use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am and 11pm. Quote incident 114 of 11 July.

You can also call police on 101 or contact [L]https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ [L+]Crimestoppers ]anonymously on 0800 555 111.