Merseyside Police introduce dispersal zone in Southport Town Centre

Police have introduced a Dispersal Zone in Southport today, Friday, 27 August, following reports of anti-social behaviour in the area in the past fortnight.

The order runs from 4pm today until 3.59pm on Sunday 29 August, and officers will be in the area to provide a visible presence and deal with any incidents following reports of assaults, threats and other anti-social behaviour.

The Dispersal Zone covers the area bounded in the map by Marine Drive, Esplanade, Promenade, Coronation Walk, Portland Street, Talbot Street, Eastbank Street, Virginia Street, Southport Railway Station, Hall Street, Hawkshead Street, Queens Road, Park Road, Park Road West, Promenade and Fairway.

The order comes under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour & Policing Act 2014, which gives police officers and police community support traffic officers powers to direct people they suspect are causing or likely to cause crime, nuisance or anti-social behaviour to members of the public to leave a designated area and not return for up to 48 hours.

Under the legislation, officers have the power to seize any item used in the commission of anti-social behaviour.

Should a person who has previously been directed to leave the area return, an offence would be committed, which they may ultimately be arrested for.

Community Inspector Graham Fisher said: “The incidents we have seen in Southport in the last two weeks simply will not be tolerated, and the introduction of this Dispersal Zone will give our officers extra powers to prevent further incidents form happening.

“We know the impact that anti-social behaviour can have on how safe people feel in their own community, and we will be targeting people we suspect of being involved in this type of behaviour in the area.

"The dispersal zone gives us powers to deal effectively with people and I would urge anyone in the area with any information about this type of anti-social behaviour to contact 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also follow @MerpolNthSefton on Twitter and Facebook for updates and advice.”

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can pass any information on anti-social behaviour via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.