Camden New Journal - News: High Road dispersal zone set up to curb disorder

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Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 7 February 2008

High Road dispersal zone set up to curb disorder

A CURFEW and dispersal zone have been imposed in Kilburn following claims by residents that the ‘halfway house’ highway is reaching crisis point in terms of crime and disorder.
From Monday, police will be able to remove under-16s to their homes and move on anyone they consider anti-social from a triangular dispersal zone around the Kilburn High Road.
Last week, residents told senior police that the split of responsibility between Camden, Westminster and Brent along the High Road has created space in which youth gangs and illegal DVD tradesmen operate with impunity.
Camden Police Partnership Chief Supt Martin Richards said that while youth violence would become the priority in the coming year, beating the traders was proving impossible. He said: “We’ve had enforcement operation after enforcement operation on the DVD sellers and confiscated thousands of DVDs and thousands of pounds’ worth of DVDs. I think I’ve exhausted every avenue I can possibly go down.”
Kilburn Safer Neighbourhoods chairman Mike Stuart said: “In Kilburn, we are struggling. We’ve got a lot of young people that are coming down and doing graffiti, anti-social behaviour, violence and even stabbings. We know the trouble there’s been before, and next time there’s a stabbing there could be a fatality and I don’t want to see that.”
Lib Dem parliamentary hopeful Ed Fordham added that illegal DVD salesmen had developed sophisticated systems for eluding police.

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