Further Section 34 Dispersal Order authorised in Warsash
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A dispersal order under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 has been authorised for the Warsash area.
This follows an order issued earlier this week after reports of anti-social behaviour in the area, mainly involving vehicles being driven dangerously.
The dispersal zone is formed of the areas shown on the map within the red borderline.
The order was authorised from 3pm today (Saturday 10 June) and will remain in place until 6am on Monday (12 June).
Officers have been patrolling the area, and will continue to do so to address these issues. As part of our patrols, a number of individuals have been moved on during the week after being directed by police. There was no necessity for us to actively use our dispersal powers on this occasion as the groups were compliant and moved at the request of police.
The dispersal authority enables police to deal with any issues of anti-social behaviour in the directed area more effectively, and gives our officers the power to order a person to leave the area with no return within the specified time period. Those who refuse to comply with the order are committing a criminal offence and are liable for arrest.
Individuals who are aged under 16 will be taken be to their home address, and follow-up work will be done with parents.
Sergeant Pete Rackham said: “Officers will be out on patrol in Passage Lane and the surrounding areas, where they will be engaging with any individuals present.
“Whilst a great many will be using the area appropriately, we will be seeking to use our powers under Section 35 to disperse anyone using their vehicle in an anti-social manner and also our powers under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 to warn/seize vehicles being driven as such. Officers will also consider reporting for summons should driving offences be identified.
“Anti-social behaviour makes the lives of local people miserable, and we encourage those affected to please keep reporting this to us so we can establish the scale of the problem and determine the most effective tactics to tackle it.
"We’re aware of community concerns in other areas of the district, such as Segensworth and Whiteley. We continue to monitor this and will be patrolling the areas, as well as looking at using any effective tactics at our disposal where it is necessary and proportionate to do so.
"We are also working with partner agencies to look at longer term solutions to tackle the concerns raised by the community."
Anyone with information about anti-social behaviour is asked to contact police on 101, or submit information to us online via our reporting tool here: https://orlo.uk/s2r2x
If a crime is in progress, call 999.