City centre dispersal zone crackdown on anti-social behaviour

A dispersal zone is to be introduced by police in the centre of Scotland's biggest city as part of a crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour.

Officers will be able to ask groups of two or more to leave the designated area if their behaviour is "impacting on the safety and well-being" of others.

Anyone directed away will be banned from returning for 24 hours.

The temporary dispersal zone, which comes into force on 20 March, will cover Glasgow Central Station, St Enoch Square and Union Street, all of which have recently been identified as areas of concern.

Police Scotland said the new measures would be used proportionately and only when necessary.

Supt Jackie Dunbar said: "This is a temporary measure being introduced alongside ongoing partnership activity to address behaviour that is having a negative impact on the city centre.

"We have listened to concerns from members of the public and local businesses about antisocial behaviour and disorder and this approach is about providing reassurance and promoting a safe and welcoming city centre."

The zone will cover an area bounded by St Vincent Place, Glassford Street/Stockwell Street, to the far side of the riverbank, and York Street/West Campbell Street.

The council's convener for city centre recovery, Angus Millar, said the measures would ensure Glasgow city centre remained a safe place to live, work and visit.

"With footfall across the city centre rising, it is important that the police are able to use the powers at their disposal to address localised and persistent issues of anti-social behaviour caused by a very small minority of people," he said.

He said there were also plans for improved CCTV monitoring of the city centre, agreed as part of the council's recent budget.

"The city centre is a massive asset for Glasgow that draws in almost 70 million visitors each year for food and drink, shopping, entertainment, business and culture," he said.

"We are committed to working closely with partners across the public and private sector including Police Scotland to ensure it continues to be a welcoming and attractive place for everyone."

Dispersal zone powers are not new - they were introduced in Scotland under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004.

A review carried out three years later found they had been used on 14 occasions in 11 separate areas including cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen.

But they have also been used in smaller towns like Dumfries and Dingwall - and one was once imposed on an entire village, Mid Calder in West Lothian.

The aim was to end the "cat and mouse" problem for police officers who often found trouble makers had moved on by the time they arrived.

The new powers also gave officers a new way of dealing with behaviour that while being anti-social, was not serious enough to merit stronger enforcement action.

Failing to comply with a dispersal order became a criminal offence which could lead to arrest under the act.

The review found the dispersal zones were effective in reducing anti-social behaviour, and sometimes things improved after just a couple of weekends.

However, it also noted some resentment from young people who complained there were insufficient youth services and alternative places to gather.

More recently the dispersal powers have been used alongside new Firework Control Zones in parts of Edinburgh following repeated incidents around Bonfire Night.