Safety partners in Rushmoor secure second dispersal order for Farnborough

A dispersal order under section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 comes into force from midnight on Friday, March 31 2006, for the North Camp, Farnborough Park and Farnborough Town Centre areas.

The area covered is bordered by the A325 Farnborough Road, Lynchford Road, A331 BVR, the railway track to the north, Victoria Road, Solartron Road and Meudon Avenue. This includes areas where there have been problems in the past, such as:

Lynchford Road
Queens Road and the recreation area
King George V playing fields
Napier Gardens
Farnborough Town Centre
Under the act, uniformed police officers can disperse groups of two or more people by;

Telling them to leave the area
Telling people who don't live in the area to leave
Telling people who don't live in the area to leave and not return for a period of up to 24 hours.

Anyone who remains in or returns to the area after being told to leave can be arrested and could face three months in prison or a fine of up to £5000. The order will apply until August 31, 2006.

Rushmoor Borough Council are displaying signs in the area to inform the community about the dispersal order and extra officers will be on duty this weekend to enforce the new powers.

Sergeant Debbie Barnes from the North East Hampshire Community Safety Team said: "We want people to remember that this dispersal order has not been put in place to prevent people from using the areas. However, there are a small minority who cause a lot of antisocial behaviour and this order will give us the power to deal with them robustly."

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