Police officers in Macclesfield can ask groups in Macclesfield to disperse tonight, following a spike of anti-social behaviour in the town

Officers have gained the power to conduct a dispersal order, which means that Police in Macclesfield can ask a group of two or more people to leave the area if they are doing anything wrong, or think they are likely to.

Macclesfield coppers will be using dispersal orders banning anyone from the town for up to 48 hours to prevent disorder.

The dispersal order has been imposed under Section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, dispersal orders make it an offence for anyone to return to a specific area for up to 48 hours.

The area covered is as indicated by the highlighted mapped area which is provided to anyone issued with a direction to leave.

The powers will be in place from today - July 20 - until 1pm on Wednesday July 21.

The granting of dispersal powers are not a response to COVID-19 restrictions, rather an increase in ASB crime in our area.

Inspector Gareth Beasley said: "We will not tolerate anti-social behaviour here in Macclesfield and after a recent spike in incidents, we have had to impose a dispersal order.

"Anti-social behaviour can have a devastating impact on our communities and I am determined to ensure that our residents feel safe in their neighbourhoods.

"I would urge anyone who has been a victim of ASB to report this to us by calling 101 or reporting it via our website so that we can investigate further."

While figures for this month are unavailable, ASB figures for areas in Macclesfield are as follows:

May 2021 Anti-social behaviour crimes reported in Macclesfield

Macclesfield South 23

Macclesfield Tytherington 13

Macclesfield East and Sutton 8

A total of 128 crimes were listed in the above wards, recorded as anti-social behaviour.

Anyone with information on ASB in their area can report it by calling Cheshire Police on 101 or report it via the Cheshire Police website.

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