Police issue dispersal order in bid to tackle firework chaos in Portsmouth
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Police have issued a dispersal order in the Buckland area of Portsmouth following a night of chaos, which saw firefighters being targeted by hooligans who hurled fireworks at them.
The banning order lasts until midday tomorrow and comes as police vowed to step up patrols across the city district.
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Hide AdHampshire Constabulary has blamed yobs ‘primarily aged 14 to 18’ for the disorder, which has escalated over the past week and seen fireworks being launched at homes and a car torched.
A police spokesman said: ‘We are aware that these incidents are caused by a very small minority of our young people, and know that many of the instigators do not live in the area.
‘We want the instigators of these incidents to know that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable and dangerous to those people involved and the wider community.’
The Section 34 dispersal order covers an area that includes Seymour Close, Buckland Park, Agincourt Road and Arnaud Close.
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Hide AdIt gives officers the power to order a person to leave the area for a 48 hour period with no return. Refusal to comply with the order is a criminal offence.
Those under 16 will be taken to their home address, and follow-up work will be done with parents.
Sergeant Sean Hopkinson said: ‘We know from having spoken to residents in the area how much anti-social behaviour can have a negative impact on people’s lives and this is simply not acceptable.
‘We also will not tolerate assaults on any of our emergency workers and find this completely unacceptable.
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‘While we have ensured that we have extended our patrols in the area, we also feel that making use of these powers to disperse groups of people will help us further to tackle this issue.
‘While we are all still doing what we can to keep each other healthy during the ongoing pandemic, we want to reassure our communities that our core work around making our neighbourhoods safer for everyone is still our priority.’
As previously reported, a gang of 20 to 30 thugs attacked two crews of firefighters from Southsea last night, as the officers attended a bonfire.
The yobs hurled fireworks at the firefighters, forcing them to retreat for their own safety.
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Hide AdThe incident outraged Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan. He said: ‘This is completely unacceptable behaviour from a small minority of our community. Our fire service does an incredible job in keeping us safe and they deserve far better than the abuse they received last night.’
Police insisted further clampdown measures had been implemented, which will see the force working jointly with the police and crime commissioner community wardens and Buckland Housing Service.