A dispersal zone has been introduced following violent scenes at a funfair last night.
Merseyside Police were called to the Acon Way area in Bootle following reports of a disturbance at a funfair. At around 8.05pm police received reports that a woman had been assaulted by a young man and that the security staff at the far had removed the boy.
Following this, a large group of teens were reported to have gathered outside the fair to challenge staff. Police officers attended where bottles and bricks were thrown at them, with two police vehicles being damaged and an officer suffering minor injuries as a result.
READ MORE: Chaos at the fun fair as bricks thrown at police and schoolgirl arrested
Two people were arrested and three youths reported they were assaulted by security staff and suffered minor injuries. Following the disturbance and violence, a dispersal zone bounded by Marsh Lane, Hawthorne Road, Linacre Lane and Stanley Road will be in place from 6pm today (Tuesday, April 12) until 6pm on Thursday April 14.
The order comes under Section 35 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. Officers have the power to seize any time, including vehicles, should they believe it is being used in relation to anti-social behaviour.
If a person returns to the designated area after being asked to leave they can be arrested. Community Policing Inspector Ray Mavrakakis said: “We have proactively put this Dispersal Zone in place following a disturbance at Bootle Fair yesterday evening
“The order isn’t designed to impact upon the vast majority of law-abiding members of the community but to deal with any issues, prevent offences from taking place and ensure residents and businesses are not subjected to any anti-social or criminal behaviour. Our enquiries into incidents at Bootle Fair last night remain ongoing and we’d urge anyone with any information to come forward.”
Anyone who wishes to report anti-social or criminal behaviour can contact @MerPolCC, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency.
