Dispersal order helps reduce calls around anti-social driving in Bishop’s Stortford

A dispersal order in Bishop’s Stortford last weekend helped to drastically reduce the number of calls around anti-social driving in the town.

The Section 34 order was put in place on Friday and Saturday (22 and 23 March), following information about car meets and anti-social driving around the town centre.

Over the past few months, police have received reports of street racing, damage to road surfaces, noise and dangerous driving, all of which have caused alarm and distress to residents.

A Section 34 order gives police the power to direct a person who has committed, or is likely to commit, anti-social behaviour to leave a specified area and not return for a period of up to 48 hours. Officers are also able to seize any items, including vehicles, used in the commission of anti-social behaviour.

Over the two days, officers were stationed in Dane Street and stopped several motorists to speak to them about the manner of their driving and vehicle defects. Proactive patrols were also carried out.

As a result, no calls were made to police around the issue on Friday evening and just two were made on Saturday, which were swiftly dealt with.

Three Section 35 orders were also issued, directing people to leave the area; two of which were due to excessively loud exhausts.

Drugs and an offensive weapon were also recovered, and enquiries continue.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Andy Crow said: “The order was put in place as part of our continuing efforts to stop anti-social driving in Bishop’s Stortford. Thankfully, it appears to have had the desired effect, as we saw a drastic reduction in calls across the weekend.

“I hope this operation provided residents with some respite and reassures them that we are taking the issue seriously.”

He added: “We continue to work alongside our partners to crackdown on this behaviour and will not hesitate to issue warnings and seize further vehicles wherever necessary.

“If you witness any incidents of anti-social or dangerous driving, please continue to report it to police, as it allows us to build intelligence of where drivers are being anti-social. It also means that we can reallocate resources to these hotspot areas, to stop any criminal or anti-social behaviour.

“The action is not aimed at people meeting in their cars peacefully, simply those disrupting local communities.”