South Yorkshire Police - Press Release - Sheffield 1

Dispersal orders are being extended as part of a drive by South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield City Council to curb anti-social behaviour in the run up to Bonfire Night.

In past years anti-social behaviour particularly involving fireworks has made life insufferable for some residents in Sheffield. Local residents may also be victims of noise nuisance, criminal damage and arson.

As a direct result South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield City Council have jointly agreed and designated certain areas of Sheffield under section 30 of the Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003.

As part of Operation Mischief South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield City Council have extended some of the existing section 30 boundaries to include the Wybourn , Darnall, Tinsley and Firth Park areas, these orders will run from Friday 12 October 2007 to Friday 9 November 2007 inclusive.

Section 30 notices are already in existence across the city in the following areas: Manor, Arbourthorne, Shiregreen, Handsworth, Richmond and Woodthorpe. These orders came into force on the 1 July and will run until 31 December 2007, with the exception of Shiregreen that runs from 1 July to 30 November 2007.

Since the section 30 dispersal orders came in to force in July the results have been encouraging. Up to the end of September 400 people have been officially warned to disperse across all the section 30 areas, and 21 people have been arrested for breach of the section 30 Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003.

Police officers have the power to take action against people acting or likely to act in an anti-social manner by directing them out of these areas. Those who fail to do so or who return may be arrested and taken to court. In addition young people under sixteen years of age who are in those areas between 9pm and 6am without a responsible adult may be taken home or to another place of safety.

Chief Inspector Rachel Barber leading this policing operation said "Dispersal orders have proved extremely effective in tackling the criminal use of fireworks and other anti-social behaviour during this period. We're encouraging people to think about the consequences of what they do at this time of year, you might think its just a bit of fun, but you could end up with a criminal record, or seriously injuring someone."

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Advisor for Safety at Sheffield City Council said: "We welcome these extensions to the dispersal orders and we will work with the police to make sure they are enforced. The Council is committed to making people feel safer and dispersal orders help with this. They are not a curfew; people can carry on with their normal business, and be reassured that the police have extra powers to deal with those people who persist in causing trouble."

South Yorkshire Police are working in partnership with Sheffield City Council , South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, and other agencies to keep communities safe during this period. Anyone in Sheffield who wants to report anti-social behaviour problems should call 101.

http://southyorks.police.uk/news/details.php?id=5413