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West Lothian Dispersal

Area

West Lothian

Intelligence - what was the nature of the antisocial behaviour?

Groups of up to 50 young people (some as young as 13 years old) had been gathering in Mid Calder on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, drinking, fighting and vandalising property. The young people had been using text messages or email to arrange gang fights.  Some of them had been travelling from neighbouring areas to cause trouble, and residents had been living in fear of the groups.  Police had confiscated items such as fence posts, golf clubs. One very serious incident led to three young people being charged with attempted murder.

Involvement - which partners were involved?

Lothian & Borders Police
West Lothian Local Authority

Intervention(s) - which intervention(s) were used and why?

It was decided to use dispersal powers in the village to break up the gangs.  There was some discussion as to whether several areas should be set up in the village to cover trouble spots, or whether it would be reasonable to make the entire village subject to the order.

Implementation - how were the intervention methods realised in practice?

It was decided to make the whole of Mid Calder a dispersal area, so that all potential trouble spots could be taken into account under a single order.  The village became a dispersal area for three months, from 1st Dec 2005.

Impact - what were the outcomes for the perpetrator, the victims and the wider community?

The dispersal area was immediately successful, with no trouble at all reported on the first weekend, and the police used their dispersal powers to move on a total of 13 young people.  This was despite threats of protests by the young people involved. Over the following weekends the village has remained quiet, with no large groups gathering and only a handful of young people have been moved on.  Various newspaper articles have covered the success of the dispersal and residents feel they have “got their village back.”

Are there any practices/experiences you have gained during this Intervention that would influence the handling of future Interventions?

The Youth Action Project spent time liaising with young people about the dispersal order outlining what it required them to do and why it was brought in. This reduced any animosity towards enforcement officers.

Although the experience at Mid Calder has been positive each potential dispersal area needs to be assessed on its own merits to ensure that the powers are suitable for that area.

Contact

Andrew Maudsley
Lothian & Borders Police seconded to West Lothian Council
www.westlothian.gov.uk
www.lbp.police.uk

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