Dispersal order issued to tackle anti-social behaviour in Portsmouth

 

Officers tackling anti-social behaviour in Portsmouth have issued a dispersal order in the Buckland area of the city for the next 48 hours.

This action comes in response to concerns raised by an increase in general anti-social behaviour by a group of young people primarily aged 14 to 18 years-old in Buckland.

Such behaviour includes fireworks being thrown, along with various criminal damage incidents and public order offences.

We are aware that these incidents are caused by a very small minority of our young population, and know that many of the instigators do not live in the area.

We are using the dispersal tool as a means to deal with the rise in ASB, whilst supporting the local residents in line with our commitment to keeping our communities safe.

While our teams have been conducting extra patrols in the area, we are now also making use of a Section 34 dispersal order.

The order covers an area that includes Seymour Close, Buckland Park, Agincourt Road and Arnaud Close, and comes into force at midday today (November 5), lasting until midday on Saturday (November 7).

The dispersal order gives our officers the power to order a person to leave the area for a 48 hour period with no return. Refusal to comply with the order is a criminal offence.

Those under 16 will be taken be to their home address, and follow-up work will be done with parents.

In addition, we will also be jointly working with Police and Crime Commissioner community wardens and Buckland Housing Service as part of a longer term solution.

Sergeant Sean Hopkinson said: “We know from having spoken to residents in the area how much anti-social behaviour can have a negative impact on people’s lives and this is simply not acceptable.

“While we have ensured that we have extended our patrols in the area, we also feel that making use of these powers to disperse groups of people will help us further to tackle this issue.

“While we are all still doing what we can to keep each other healthy during the ongoing pandemic, we want to reassure our communities that our core work around making our neighbourhoods safer for everyone is still our priority.”

Anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour or large gatherings of people should call 101 or report it to us online at www.hampshire.police.uk. If a crime is in progress, call 999.