A new dispersal order is to be put in force by Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent City Council at the end of this week.
The Section 30 Dispersal Zone will run in the Fegg Hayes and Packmoor area from 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2011.
To complement this, a number of activities are available for young people to access on various nights of the week including the Hoppa Bus at Whitfield Valley Centre; activities at Packmoor Youth Club and free boxing sessions at James Brindley High School.
A Section 30 is to help people not feel frightened or discouraged from using
Public places because of the behaviour of groups of people, and is also intended to protect children and young people from the risks of being unaccompanied on the streets late at night.
The boundary of the Section 30 Dispersal Zone will be as follows:
Along Mellor Street to Birchenwood Road to the junction of Colclough Lane; down to Zodiac Drive down to St Michael’s Road, along Roseberry Street up to Clement Road; across to Johnson Place to the junction with Oxford Road.
Along Cumberbatch Avenue to Biddulph Road, along the recreation ground up to Handley Street to the junction with Mellor Street.
A Section 30 Dispersal Zone gives the police the following powers:
To disperse groups of two or more people;
To take young people under the age of 16 years home after 9pm.
To order that person to not return within 24 hours, if they do not live in that area
If individuals refuse to follow the direction to disperse they will be committing an offence. This could result in a fine up to £2,500 or imprisonment, or both.
Tony Oakman, Director of Adult and Neighbourhood Services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said:
“Complaints from local residents have lead both ourselves and the police to the point where the dispersal order was the most appropriate measure.
The order prevents groups of two or more people gathering and acting in an anti-social way like drinking and being noisy and abusive to local residents.
This is an good example the council working in partnership with the police to stop those people who disrupt other people’s lives and ruin communities.”
PC Jaime Isaacs, neighbourhood officer for Fegg Hayes and Packmoor, said:
“The introduction of a Section 30 Dispersal Zone is the latest tool to be implemented to tackle anti-social behaviour in Fegg Hayes and Packmoor.
Our officers have been working closely with other agencies and the community itself to address issues in the areas concerned and there has been improvement in the behaviour of some young people. Despite this, there are a number of people who continue to cause nuisance and distress to other members of the community by their actions.
Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated by Staffordshire Police and we will continue to work with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and other partners, to address such matters.
Have you been affected by anti social behaviour? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Or, Perhaps youare a teenager and have been accused of antisocial behaviour. how do you think these measures will impact on young people. Get in touch we’d love to hear your views.