Two arrested, aged 12 and 17, after allegedly breaking dispersal order in Middlesbrough

Two people, one aged 12 and one aged 17, have been arrested after dispersal orders were put in place in an area of Middlesbrough.

Police focused on the Netherfields area after increased reports of "appalling" antisocial behaviour and crime near Vaughan Shops.

Officers say incidents have included people being spat at, verbally abused, and stones being thrown at cars.

Over the Easter bank holiday weekend, Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Team officers ordered 25 young people to leave the area using dispersal orders powers, and a further 20 left the area at the request of officers without having a dispersal order issued.

Dispersal orders enable officers to direct someone who has committed or is likely to commit, antisocial behaviour to leave an area for up to 48 hours. Those who fail to comply can be prosecuted with the maximum penalty carrying a fine of up to £2,500 and/or three months imprisonment.

Two male youths, aged 12 and 17, were arrested for allegedly breaching a dispersal order. The 17-year-old was later charged with failing to obey a police direction to leave an exclusion area. He is due to appear at Teesside Youth Court on Wednesday 17 April.

Trainee Inspector Steven Pattison from Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We are working closely with our partners to tackle recent increases in both antisocial behaviour and crime in the area around Vaughan Shops.

"We have seen some instances of appalling behaviour in the last few weeks, such as members of the public being spat at and verbally abused whilst simply going about their daily business. An elderly woman was also narrowly missed by a stone after it was thrown through a car window on Fosdyke Green.

“This kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated by us or partner agencies. We have spoken with a number of parents over the last few weeks about the behaviour of their children and we expect parents to take this on board and work with us to help us challenge these behaviours and take the appropriate action.

“Where there are repeat offenders we won’t hesitate to look at enforcement options, which can include Criminal Behaviour Orders, arrests and looking into tenancy agreements with housing providers.”

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