Portsmouth police issue dispersal order in Buckland as residents complain 'feral animal' youths are 'ruling the roost'

‘FERAL animal’ youths have been accused of ‘ruling the roost’ in a neighbourhood with vandalism, intimidation and assaults to beleaguered residents who ‘don’t want to live there’.
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Some locals in Nessus Street, Buckland, have been forced to barricade themselves in their homes to keep a low profile as large groups of ‘untouchable’ teenagers from across the city descend to the ‘HQ’ location daily – now the subject of a police dispersal order to stamp out the anti-social behaviour.

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Doors have been smashed to council block Haselgrave House, nearby CCTV smashed, bikes stolen and destroyed as ‘shouting and swearing’ teenagers indulge in cannabis smoking, boozing and taking laughing gas.

Youths speaking with a police officer in Nessus Street, Buckland,Youths speaking with a police officer in Nessus Street, Buckland,
Youths speaking with a police officer in Nessus Street, Buckland,
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More than 100 incidents have been reported to ‘powerless’ police during the past year in an attempt to rein the gang in.

A resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘There have been so many incidents, they come round here smoking dope, swearing, shouting and causing havoc.

‘We've had doors smashed, CCTV cameras broken, intimidation and residents assaulted - all of which has been reported to the police.

‘You can hardly hear your TV because they are so loud and breaking things. They are just like feral animals and are driving us mad. Many of us don’t want to live here any more and are scared to go out when they are around.

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‘They are ruling the roost and use the area as their HQ where they all meet up.’

Police started surgeries with residents a year ago to deal with the issues but this has not curbed the spiralling anti-social behaviour.

‘We’ve had about half a dozen different officers to deal with things but they never let you know what’s happening,’ the resident said. ‘They walk the walk but don’t talk the talk.

‘Officers come over and talk to them and are just told to go away.

Youths in Nessus Street, Buckland.Youths in Nessus Street, Buckland.
Youths in Nessus Street, Buckland.
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‘The police don’t seem interested in dealing with it. They seem powerless. The respect for them is non-existent.

‘The police know them all, they need to get rid of the ring leaders and the rest will follow. It has been horrendous for a year. It’s like a ghetto.’

Police said they are stepping up their response following reports of anti-social behaviour in the area and have now issued a dispersal order until Wednesday evening.

The dispersal order in and around Nessus StreetThe dispersal order in and around Nessus Street
The dispersal order in and around Nessus Street

‘We are aware of several reports of anti-social behaviour at an address on Nessus Street,’ a spokeswoman said.

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‘Our officers have increased patrols in the area and continue to carry out dedicated patrols in order to address the issues reported to us.

‘We will also be working with our partner agencies on a joined-up response to these reports.’

Portsmouth police posted on Twitter on Monday night: ‘A section 35 dispersal order has been approved in the vicinity of Nessus Street to tackle ongoing anti-social behaviour issues.

‘Therefore, we have stepped up patrols until Wednesday evening to address problems affecting the local community.’

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Inspector Marcus Kennedy said following the first night of the order being in place: ‘As a result of the introduction of the dispersal order reported incidents have reduced overnight, but this is an ongoing piece of work for the Neighbourhood Policing Team and our partners at Portsmouth City Council. We will be continuing to carry out regular patrols in the area.’

A Portsmouth City Council spokeswoman said: ‘We are aware of the anti-social behaviour on Nessus Street and in the surrounding area. We are working with the police to support their activity in dealing with the issues of vandalism, this includes providing CCTV footage to aid their investigations.

‘We also provide information to residents in our properties about how to report concerns they may have and in this situation we encourage concerned residents to contact the police via the Hampshire Constabulary website or by calling 101.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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