Dispersal zone on Uxbridge Road
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
18/08/2008
Small businesses in Shepherds Bush have received a welcome boost with the news that the police will now be using special powers to disperse groups of rowdy louts.
The new ‘dispersal zone’ encompasses the whole of Uxbridge Road, between Askew Road and Wood Lane and will bring some peace to small businesses that have been blighted by anti-social behaviour problems in the past.
The zone means that police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) can order gangs of troublemakers to leave an area immediately for a maximum of 24 hours. The scheme is being implemented by the Shepherds Bush 24/7 Safer Neighbourhood Team which is partially funded by the council.
Cllr Greg Smith, cabinet member for crime and anti-social behaviour, said: “Cutting crime and helping small businesses are two of the council’s main priorities and the dispersal zone backs up this commitment to the people of Shepherds Bush who have been afflicted by anti-social behaviour for far too long.
“The council has been working closely with the police and will continue to do so in order to make Hammersmith & Fulham safer for those who work, live in and visit here.”
Local businesses have already voiced their support for the scheme. Adham Issa, owner of the Beirut Lebanese Restaurant on Uxbridge Road, said: “We have had some terrible problems with groups of teenagers here and it really has a damaging affect on my business. They congregate outside the restaurant and have fights and throw food. They smoke and deal drugs outside my restaurant and sometimes the smell of the hash wafts inside. On one occasion, someone threatened to shoot me.
“I used to have some regular customers who came here from Birmingham. The last time they came, they had to wait ten minutes to get back to their car because there was a fight outside. They have not been back since. The dispersal zone is a good idea and I would like to thank the police and council for their help. It will certainly help small businesses like mine.”
The new zone is not intended to be a blanket ban on people meeting each other in the street. It is, however, intended to tackle anti-social behaviour including insulting and intimidating behaviour, disorder, assaults, robberies and vandalism.
Those who refuse to move on, or return to the dispersal zone before the permitted time and be jailed for a maximum of three months or fined up to £2,500.
Detective Superintendent Stephen Cassidy, MPS Hammersmith & Fulham said: “The dispersal zone is a useful tool for officers on the 24/7 team who patrol the area on a daily basis, to help them combat incidents of anti-social behaviour in this area.”
