"It will not be tolerated" - Leigh Park dispersal order in place after crowd threw objects at police during arrest of man suspected of sending explicit messages to a child

Police attended Middle Park Way in Leigh Park at around 7.38pm on Tuesday, July 1 and arrested a 38-year-old man on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with a child. At the scene police said they were met with a crowd of around 100 people, some of whom threw objects at them and behaved aggressively.

The unrest happened following a “sting” by a group that calls itself the Child Online Safety Team which was streamed live on Facebook. The video showed people chanting and being held back by officers with riot shields.

Police described the actions as “completely unacceptable” and moved to curb any further disturbance by putting a dispersal order in place under Section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. The crowd soon dispersed and no injuries were reported, the police added.

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Chief Inspector Alex Charge said: “As a police service we are committed to protecting vulnerable people – that includes children, and we know that the community feel very passionately about this also.

“Disorder as was seen last night will not be tolerated – it can cause real fear for residents, damage property and seriously impede our police officers who are working really hard to carry out their duties, make arrests and keep people safe.

“Officers attended quickly and robustly last night but were confronted by a group of people acting aggressively, including some who were throwing objects at police. This is completely unacceptable and puts our officers at risk of harm when they are there to protect you – our community.

“Our investigation into the report of sexual communication with a child remains ongoing and we have a man in custody. In addition to this, any further offences identified linked to last night’s disorder will be investigated and dealt with appropriately.”

A further dispersal order came into effect at 12pm today (July 2) and will last for 48 hours. A Hampshire & Isle of Wight constabulary spokesperson said: “Anyone found to be engaging in anti-social behaviour or disorder in the area will be dealt with robustly by police, and those who refuse to comply with police direction under the dispersal authority will be liable for arrest and prosecution.