Police make three arrests following public order incident in Hedge End

Police responding to reports of a public order incident in Hedge End, which resulted in a dispersal order being put in place for 48 hours over the weekend, have arrested three people in connection with the incident.

It comes after a group of around 20-30 young people were involved in a number of public order incidents in and around Drummond Road, Whites Road and the Grange Park area in Hedge End at around 8.20pm on Thursday 14 October.

As a result, officers were granted the power to disperse people under Section 35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 in those areas between 6pm on Friday 15 October and 5.59pm on Sunday 17 October. They were also able to seize any items used in the commission of anti-social behaviour, while those under 16 would have been taken to their home address and follow-up work done with their parents.

There were no further incidents over the weekend.

As part of police enquires into the incidents on Thursday evening, a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, both from Hedge End, were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. While a 16-year-old boy from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty.

The two boys were released on conditional bail until Friday 26 November, while the girl was released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Eastleigh District Commander, Chief Inspector Marcus Cator, said: “Our officers conducted high visibility patrols in these areas over to the weekend to reassure the public and deal with any ongoing issues. We will always seek to take robust and appropriate action against those responsible for causing harm and disorder within our local communities.

“As always, if you see or witness any suspicious activity – including anti-social behaviour – please do continue reporting this to police via the Hampshire Constabulary website or by calling 101. It helps us to build up a bigger picture of issues impacting our communities and allows us to allocate the appropriate resources to those dedicated areas to resolve any ongoing issues.