A special dispersal order will be put in place with police officers out in force to keep residents and festival-goers safe ahead of the Neighbourhood Weekender event in Warrington.
In anticipation of increased footfall across the town centre this weekend for the Neighbourhood Weekender Festival, officers have been granted extra powers to help keep everyone who lives in and will be visiting Warrington safe over the course of a busy weekend.
Neighbourhood Weekender is a two-day music festival that will be held in Warrington’s Victoria Park from Saturday 24 May to Sunday 25 May and, as part of preparations for the anticipated increased footfall across the town, residents can expect to see an increase in the number of officers out and about to keep everyone safe this weekend.
As well as the increase in the number of officers that will be seen, a dispersal order will be put in place between 9am on Saturday 24 May to 9am on Monday 26 May to help support the operation and prevent anti-social behaviour.
It has been imposed under Section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, making it an offence for anyone to return to a specific area for up to 48 hours.
The area covered by the order is highlighted in the mapped area. The map is provided to anyone issued with a direction to leave.
Inspector Chris Webster, of Warrington LPU’s Neighbourhood Team, said:“The festival is a big draw to the town centre and our two train stations and we want everyone to enjoy their time here, whether you’re attending the festival itself, you live here or are a local business.
“That’s why we will have an increased presence in the area and have put this order in place. I want to be clear that issuing dispersal orders is not officers ‘taking this behaviour lightly’ these orders allow us to take robust action.
“These orders are additional tactical options that allow us to deal with anti-social behaviour head-on.
“A number of officers will be out in key areas, patrolling around the city and I would urge anyone with any concerns to speak to an officer.
“I would urge residents and businesses to continue to report any issues with anti-social behaviour so that we can address these issues.”
Anyone with information about anti-social behaviour in their area is urged to contact Cheshire Police via the Cheshire Police website or call 101.
