Police given power to disperse groups in New Addington (From Your Local Guardian)

Police given power to disperse groups in New Addington

9:40am Monday 13th February 2012 in News By Nick Hitchens

Police given power to disperse groups in New Addington

Police will have greater powers to break up groups causing trouble after a dispersal order was made for a problem part of Croydon.

The Safer Croydon Partnership made the order for Hares Bank, the communal playing area and Central Parade parts of New Addington, coming into affect from February 10 to August 9.

Since last October reports of antisocial behaviour at Hares Bank have dropped dramatically, with 10 reports between October and December. In the previous three months there were 53.

Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety, said: “This community has worked incredibly hard to ensure everyone can benefit from the playing area, and this order gives us more power to see that the good work continues.”

Police will have the power to tell people to disperse, with immediate affect or by a stated time, tell people not local to New Addington to leave, and not to return for a period less than 24 hours and enforce all this with fines or even a prison sentence.

Sergeant Paul Potter, from New Addington Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: "Local residents should not have to put up with antisocial behaviour and we will continue to work with the new Friends of Hares Bank group, partners, and the wider community to tackle this.

“The number of offences is dropping, and this dispersal zone will help us continue to target the small minority causing trouble, so that they understand that their behaviour is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”