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Dispersal zone policy
• YOUR article on the new dispersal zone between Regent’s Park and King’s Cross Road (Police powers review pledged after challenge, October 29) raised a number of important concerns about whether the police and the council are following the correct procedure.
Dispersal zones give the police the power to move groups of people on when they are causing a nuisance, a powerful tool which should not be introduced lightly or without proper scrutiny.
I have been calling for a dispersal zone for parts of King’s Cross to deal with youth disorder for the last two years and have always been told locally crime statistics do not warrant it.
It is absolutely clear to me that if such a zone is introduced it has to be in consultation with residents, community police officers and local youth service providers.
It is particularly important that communities with a dispersal zone have a pro-active youth service that undertakes outreach to young people potentially involved in anti-social behaviour.
It is astonishing Camden woefully ignored this principle and introduced the zone without any discussion with local residents. It seems local police officers did not seem aware of the zone so had no way of enforcing it on the ground.
Tackling anti-social behaviour was one of the major priorities when Labour ran Camden Council.
Anti-social behaviour orders were only ever introduced as a last resort and followed a procedure where people were encouraged to address what often could be the real problems that caused their bad behaviour.
If the Lib Dem’s had not cut our much-valued street warden service from King’s Cross this drastic, ill-thought-through dispersal zone may not have been necessary.
Cllr Jonathan Simpson
Deputy Leader of the Labour Group
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