Hampshire police impose dispersal orders in Buckland and Leigh Park after fireworks thrown at people

Hampshire police said an order in Buckland starts at 1pm today and ends just before 1pm on Saturday.

An order starts runs from 4pm-9am in Leigh Park at Stockheath Common through to the Greywell shopping precinct in Leigh Park. It comes after fireworks were thrown at shops and people.

In Portsmouth, extra patrols will be put on. Anyone involved in anti-social behaviour can be ordered to leave the area for 48 hours. If they fail to do so, police can arrest them.

A Portsmouth police spokeswoman said: ‘This action comes in response to concerns raised by an increase in general anti-social behaviour in the area, including public order offences and fireworks being set off in public places in an irresponsible, illegal and unsafe manner.

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

‘We are using the dispersal tool as a means to deal with this rise in anti-social behaviour, while supporting the local residents in line with our commitment to keeping our communities safe.’

Anyone under 16 causing trouble will be taken home to their parents.

The action comes as police also work with community wardens, the Hive, the Charles Dickens Youth Centre and Buckland Adventure Playground.

Portsmouth Central Inspector Sean Hopkinson said: ‘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.

‘However we know how much this anti-social behaviour is impacting on people’s lives, having spoken to and worked alongside the local communities on this issue. 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 on this occasion.’

Anyone with information should call police on 101.

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