Police have imposed a a dispersal order in Ilkeston in a bid to stop incidents of anti-social behaviour in the town. The order was put in place from Friday (March 31) at 4pm and runs until Sunday, April 2 evening.
Derbyshire Police shared a map of the area included in the dispersal zone, which covers much of the town centre and includes includes Victoria Park, Rutland recreation ground and Pewit golf course.. A dispersal order allows police to disperse people from the stated areas, and if they are involved in instances of anti-social behaviour, take anyone under 16 back to their home.
Officers say it comes after they have received reports of large groups of youths behaving in an anti-social way, in particular at Rutland park but also on streets around the town over the last few weekends.
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Previous dispersal orders were placed on the town in April 2022 and June 2021 following similar issues with anti-social behaviour.
A spokesperson for the force said: "A dispersal order aimed at stopping anti-social behaviour in Ikeston starts tonight (Friday, March 31). The order covers most of the town centre and includes Victoria Park, Rutland park and Pewit golf course, as shown on the map. It started at 4pm and runs until Sunday evening."
A dispersal order can only be authorised for a maximum period of 48 hours but at the point of expiry, an assessment can be carried out and a further period of up to 48 hours can be authorised if necessary.
Inspector Ed Browne, who leads policing in the area, said: “Over the last few weekends, we’ve received reports of large groups of youths behaving in an anti-social way, in particular at Rutland park but also on streets around the town.
“The impact this can have on people living in Ilkeston is huge and having this dispersal order in place gives us the powers to tackle it more robustly.”
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