The first Dispersal Order in Haverhill will be put into place from Friday 9^th May 2008, as part of community efforts to tackle incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Howe Road area. This will not adversely affect those who use the skate park for its designed use – the aim is to help them feel safer. Only a minority who gather there in the evening and whose behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable will be dispersed from the area.

Cllr Sara Mildmay-White, Cabinet member with responsibility for crime reduction at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, says, “The council, the police and the community all support the proper use of the skate park and do not want its enjoyment wrecked by the irresponsible behaviour of others. The dispersal order protects the interests of neighbouring residents and genuine skate park users by allowing the police to deal with the anti-social behaviour of a selfish minority.”

Dispersal Orders give a senior police officer the power to designate (with local authority agreement) an area where there is a problem with persistent anti-social behaviour and groups causing intimidation. Once agreement on this has been reached, the designation must be publicised in the locality through the media and/or notices posted in the vicinity.

Haverhill Neighbourhood Inspector Adrian Dawson says, “The police, through the Haverhill Safer Neighbourhood Teams, have worked alongside the community and the local councils to offer a range of activities for young people in the town, the skate park being one of them. Lots of skaters use and enjoy the park as it is intended, but a group persists in using the facility and the surrounding area in an anti-social manner. This includes drinking, being noisy, causing damage to street lighting, fences and the skate ramps themselves. This is unacceptable to the people who use the park responsibly, the community who use the area around the park, the police and local authorities.

“We don’t want to take the park away from the genuine users – but at present the anti-social behaviour of those who gather here for other reasons is doing this, and local people are being intimidated by their behaviour. The Safer Neighbourhood Teams regularly consult with residents and partners about issues in the town, and they have received numerous complaints about anti-social behaviour in the area which we feel can be dealt with positively with the implementation of a Dispersal Order.”

As part of the Order, under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, police officers have the ‘power to disperse groups where their presence or behaviour has resulted, or is likely to result, in a member of the public being harassed, intimidated, alarmed or distressed’. The individuals can then be excluded from the specified area for up to 24 hours.

There are also powers in the designated area for officers to take young people under the age of 16 home, or to a place of safety, after 9pm at night if they are not under the control of an adult and are committing anti-social behaviour. This is a discretionary power - not a curfew that requires the police to act in relation to every child out at that time.

Insp Dawson continues, “The dispersal order will run from Friday 9^th May and run initially for six months, to allow us to deal directly and positively with the situation. The order gives us further powers to deal with groups who are not committing criminal offences, but are causing concern and disruption to local residents and people who simply want to skate. It will allow us to move on those responsible for anti-social behaviour, to let others use the area safely and without feeling intimidated. The order will be continually reviewed throughout this time, with the first review after a month.”