Spelthorne police to use a six-month dispersal order to tackle anti-social behaviour in Staines town centre
Submitted: 27/07/2010 18:27:19
Police obtain six-month dispersal order for Staines town centre
POLICE in Spelthorne will be taking robust action as part of a crackdown to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour in Staines town centre from the start of next month.
Officers have obtained a special dispersal order under Section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, which gives officers the right to disperse groups and take individuals under 16 back to their homes.
The order allows officers to disperse groups of two or more whose presence or behaviour in any public place in the area has resulted, or is likely to result in, members of the public being intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed, and prevent them from returning for 24 hours.
It also allows officers to take home any person under the age of 16 if the individual is found in the area between 9pm and 6am and is not being supervised by a responsible adult.
The dispersal area will come into effect from Sunday 1 August and will run until Monday 31 January 2011.
The new dispersal order will cover the Two Rivers retail park, Staines High Street, the Elmsleigh Shopping Centre and Staines bus station.
Police will enforce the order through additional high visibility patrols in the area which will be carried out by both the Staines Town Safer Neighbourhood Team and Targeted Patrol Teams (TPT).
Spelthorne Neighbourhood Inspector Sarah Greenhalgh said: “Surrey Police has taken strong and positive action to address an area which has suffered from anti-social behaviour problems in recent weeks, particularly the Two Rivers retail park.
“This order will allow us to offer residents and local businesses the support they need by removing those groups causing trouble from the area and then dealing with those involved to prevent repeat offences.
“This decision to impose the order was not been taken lightly and it is important to point out the dispersal order is the result of the actions of a very small minority of individuals and is in no way a reflection of the majority of people living in and around Staines town centre.
“We will continue to work with our partner agencies to target local concerns and this action demonstrates we are committed to producing solutions to neighbourhood problems.”
Anyone wishing to report an offence in the dispersal order area should call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222, quoting reference SL/10/5599, or call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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