 Police teams will be patrolling the areas to break-up groups |
Police have been given additional powers after a 100-strong group of men wielding baseball bats were seen in a housing estate in north London. A six-month dispersal order, which came into effect on Saturday, covers Regents Park, Somers Town and St Pancras areas in Camden borough.
Residents of Regents Park Estate reported seeing the group on 23 March, a spokeswoman for the council said.
Other gang fights, involving weapons, have also taken place in the area.
Police were alerted when the 100-strong group arrived in the area, but dispersed before officers arrived, the spokeswoman added.
'Reaching' the youth
Residents said the gang was "looking for a fight".
This and other recent incidents then prompted the borough's youth offending team, community safety team and police decided to issue the order.
Ben Rawlings, Camden Council Executive Member for Community Safety, said: "The dispersal notice will provide the council with additional means of reaching young people involved in anti-social behaviour, getting to the root of why they behave in this way."
The order allows police to break-up groups of two or more people for up to 24 hours under threat of arrest.
Chief Inspector Simon Turner, Head of Community Policing in Camden, said: "The Safer Neighbourhood Teams will bring perpetrators of youth disorder and violence to justice."
No arrests have been made since the order came into effect, the spokeswoman said.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
