FOR the past six months, police have had the power to kick troublemakers out of Cheltenham town centre. As the dispersal order comes to an end, Michael Purton finds out whether it has been effective.
POLICE were given the power to order people to leave the town centre after a big rise in anti-social behaviour in the lower High Street area.
Figures suggested there had been a 15 per cent rise in anti-social behaviour between March and October last year – with 112 incidents recorded – in comparison to the same period in 2011.
The dispersal order came into effect on November 30, after Gloucestershire police asked Cheltenham Borough Council to introduce the act so officers could crackdown on trouble.
In particular, they wanted to tackle four hotspots – St Mary's Churchyard, outside McDonald's, Jenner Gardens and outside Hutchinson's – where problems had included people performing lewd acts, urinating in public, drinking and intimidation.
Statistics on the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the whole of the town centre in the past six months suggest the dispersal order has been effective.
From November 30 last year to Thursday this week, there were 160 incidents, compared to 223 in the same period in 2011/12 – a 28.3 per cent drop.
During the duration of the order, officers have handed out 20 informal warnings and 20 formal orders for people to leave the area.
Sergeant Tim Hutchinson, from the local policing team for the area, said: "Dispersal orders have proven to be an effective way of helping to reduce the poor behaviour of a minority, who can ruin the area for others."
Traders and shoppers in lower High Street have praised the effect of the order.
Nigel Pearson, who works at The Furnishing Studio, said the campaign had been a success.
He added: "It has been quieter outside McDonald's and in the churchyard.
"We used to get groups of 30 teenagers outside McDonald's, being aggressive.
"You also don't get so many drunk people hanging around now."
Monica Burls, shop manager at Acorns, has displayed a notice about the dispersal order in the window to warn potential troublemakers. She said: "I think things have got better.
"We used to have problems with teenagers gathering around the shop at around 5pm. They were using bad language and generally being noisy.
"I see police officers patrolling the streets more often now too."
John Barton, who regularly shops in lower High Street, said he had noticed a positive difference.
"There are definitely less noisy teenagers than there were before," the 64-year-old said.
"Last year, before the order came in, there were times when it could get rowdy in this area.
"There would be groups of teenagers hanging around, shouting at each other and people passing by, and there was a bit of a bad atmosphere. It's much more pleasant now."
The Rev Dr Tudor Griffiths, the rector at St Mary's Church, said he could not remember seeing anybody hanging around the churchyard in the last six months, which had been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.
Despite a general decrease in trouble, vandals did hurl two bricks through a valuable Victorian era stained glass window at the church on April 30.
Dr Griffiths said: "Despite the damage to the windows, I think it is fair to say that generally things have improved."
With the dispersal order largely proving to be a success, the question now is whether it will be extended for another six months or even longer.
Sergeant Hutchinson said the police will consider renewing the order. "The dispersal order has given us some effective powers to address anti-social behaviour," he said. "But our work in the area will continue and we will be reviewing the impact it has had and whether it's appropriate to run a similar initiative in the future."
Councillor Peter Jeffries, cabinet member for housing and safety, said the borough council will have to examine the crime figures from the six-month period and consult the public before deciding whether to extend the order.
"Until we look at the overall impact of the order and speak to the public, we cannot decide whether we will need another one."
OPINION, P8
