Police continue to crack down on youths hurling stones at people on Portsmouth seafront and fare dodging on pier rides

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have provided an update on the most recent order, which was in place from June 14 to 16. It covered landmarks including South Parade Pier, Canoe Lake, Clarence Esplanade, the Hotwalls and the Camber.

A dispersal order allows officers to move on groups or individuals from an area and stop them from returning for a certain period of time – under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

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It’s a criminal offence not to comply. A police spokeswoman has revealed the most common incidents which have taken place on the seafront.

She said: ‘Common examples of anti-social behaviour in the area generally includes stones being thrown at members of the public, people gaining access to the rides on the pier and refusing to pay/leave the area and theft from the Co-op.’ The force declared the second dispersal order, active between May 26 and 28, a success – with falling numbers of arrests and order enforcements.

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Youths have previously wreaked havoc in the area, allegedly throwing a picnic bench off the pier. The spokeswoman said no arrests were made during the last dispersal order, with officers no needing to enforce those powers.

She added that Section 34 orders are usually not planned in advance unless previous intelligence dictates that one is required, and they will be actioned where necessary. ‘Once these orders are in place anti-social behaviour does tend to reduce significantly, once the perpetrators are removed from the location,’ she said.