Teenagers causing chaos in a seaside town have led to police putting new measures in place.
Merseyside Police said they have received an increase in reports of anti-social behaviour in West Kirby caused by large groups of teenagers. The Chief Inspector in charge of the area said today the incidents were "having a significant impact" on residents, businesses and visitors to the town.
West Kirby has long been a popular destination on the Wirral coast, and visitor numbers are expected to be high over the Easter weekend. Incidents include one in which a woman's car was stopped and jumped on, as well as disorder in a popular park. To try and combat this, police introduced a dispersal zone today.
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The order runs from Good Friday at 3pm and will last for 48 hours until 2.59pm on Sunday, April 9. The dispersal zone covers Lingdale Road, Bridge Road, Bridge Court, South Road, Albert Road and South Parade. It also encompasses West Kirby Concourse, West Kirby railway station, Ashton Park and Banks Road.
Police patrols will be stepped up in the area and officers from their mounted section will be on hand to provide a visible presence and deal with any incidents. A number of incidents have been reported, and during one, on Thursday, April 6, a boy ran into Banks Road, forcing a car to stop, before jumping on the windscreen, causing it to smash.
Police said they are in the early stages of investigating this particular incident and would appeal for anyone who witnessed it to get in touch.
On Tuesday, April 4 police received a report of disorder in Ashton Park and arrested a 17-year-old male. He has been released under investigation.
Community Chief Inspector Tom Welch said: “I have proactively put this dispersal in place in response to reports involving anti-social behaviour and criminality in the area. This includes youths riding bikes, behaving in an anti-social manner, damaging property and committing violent offences.
"This is having a significant impact on businesses, residents and people visiting West Kirby or shopping in the town due to their intimidating unacceptable behaviours. Patrols have been increased in the area to deal with any issues, and this order is an additional measure to prevent any criminality from taking place.
“This dispersal zone is to give officers in the area extra powers to approach people they suspect may be there to commit anti-social behaviour or other crimes. This order is also to ensure residents and businesses are not subjected to any such behaviour, and I would ask people to continue reporting any concerns and we will take action.
"We will be in the area to provide reassurance to those people who simply want to shop or visit our neighbourhood without having to be confronted with this behaviour. I would urge parents and guardians to know where young people in your care are, to further assist us in dealing with those who cause trouble.
“If you witness any anti-social behaviour or have any information about such incidents, please contact or speak to our officers and we will take action.”
The Dispersal Zone comes under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour & Policing Act 2014, which gives police officers and police community support traffic officers powers to direct people who are engaging in antisocial behaviour or are likely to become involved in such incidents. These powers will not be used for anyone visiting the area and going about their daily business, police said.
Under the legislation, officers have the power to seize any item used in the commission of anti-social behaviour. Should a person who has previously been directed to leave the area return, an offence would be committed, which they may be arrested for.
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