Police are taking action to tackle anti-social behaviour in the Rosary Road area of Norwich this weekend.

A dispersal order will be in place for Rosary Road and Cannell Green from 7pm this evening (Friday 8 December) until 7pm on Sunday 10 December.

The action follows concerns from local residents about prostitution and anti-social behaviour in the area.

The order gives uniformed officers the authority to disperse individuals or groups where their presence or behaviour has resulted, or is likely to result, in a member of the public being harassed, intimidated, alarmed or distressed,

The individuals can be excluded from a specified area for up to 24 hours and if they refuse to follow the officer’s directions to disperse they will be committing an offence, punishable by up to six months imprisonment and/ or a fine of up to £5,000.

There is also a discretionary power for officers to take young people under the age of 16 home, or to a place of safety, after 9pm at night if they are not under the control of an adult, but this is not a curfew that requires the police to act in relation to every child out at that time.

Sergeant Mark Shepherd said: “This order will give officers extra powers when it comes to dealing with anti-social behaviour and means police will be focusing additional resources on tackling issues in this area.

“We hope that residents and parents will support our efforts to make this a pleasant place for all who use it. This doesn’t mean we will be asking any group to move along if they are just talking to their friends, it just gives us more options, alongside our powers of arrest, when dealing with those causing problems. At the moment we know the behaviour of some individuals is adversely affecting the quality of life of residents and the order will help us to deal with groups who are committing anti-social behaviour.”