CURFEW ORDER ON YOUNG PEOPLE WILL TARGET DRUG-HIT CITY SUBURB

Crackdown Aimed At Anti-Social Behaviour

A Curfew will be imposed in a Sheffield suburb plagued by drugs,
meaning young people under 16 will not be allowed onto the streets
at night for a total of 10 months in the year.

Fir Vale has been singled out for the crackdown on
anti-social behaviour after the success of a previous dispersal order
in just one part of it, the troubled Wensley Estate, which expires on
Monday and will be replaced by the new extended order. Police say the
stringent measures are vital if problems in the area are to be brought
under control.

Supt John Brennan of South Yorkshire Police said: "This order is aimed
at responding to the overwhelming support we've received from the
local community. "We are not looking for a short-term solution here,
we are aiming to change people's attitudes and give local people
confidence in their community." The dispersal order allows police to
move on any groups of two or more people hanging around on the estate.

There will also be a curfew for six months between 9pm and 6am from
Monday, when young people under the age of 16 may be returned to a
place of safety, normally their homes, if found loitering
unaccompanied on the streets. It will go hand in hand with a
high-profile police presence every day to deal with problems around
drug-dealing, violent crime and the carrying of weapons. The new order
covers a wider area than the previous one, which was Sheffield's first
and confined to just the Wensley estate.

It came into effect in June, in the light of concerns of residents,
police and Sheffield Council over rocketing crime levels which were
three times the city average. The estate was perceived to be riddled
with drug use, suffering particular problems over cannabis, crack and
heroin. A survey into the effectiveness of the order found that 40 per
cent of residents believed there had been a decrease in crime and
anti-social behaviour since it was introduced.

Most residents gave their backing to the dispersal order, although
three in 10 people said fear of becoming a victim of crime prevented
them from going out at night. A further four out of five said they
regarded certain areas of the estate as no-go areas.

The new order will cover the Wensley estate, Osgathorpe Park, Page
Hall and Fir Vale, although boundaries will be reviewed monthly to
monitor its effectiveness.

Sheffield Council's deputy director of legal and administrative
services, Liz Bashforth, welcomed the issuing of the new order.

She said: "We want to address the underlying causes of anti-social
behaviour in Fir Vale by continuing to work with the police and local
communities. "This will involve looking at the regeneration and
environment of the local area to find sustainable solutions."