A COUNTY councillor has questioned the effectiveness of a dispersal order near to a Durham leisure centre – calling the criminal order “a short-term fix to a much wider problem”.

The criminal order, which was in force between 8am on Saturday (March 20) and 8am on Monday (March 22) applied to parts of Ferryhill and Chilton after several anti-social incidents in the area and complaints from members of the public.

During the active dispersal order, officers from Durham Constabulary were able to remove groups of youths from the areas, which included the perimeter around Ferryhill Leisure Centre.

Read more: Dispersal order in place around Ferryhill Leisure Centre

Now that the order has elapsed, Cllr Curtis Bihari, who was only elected earlier this year, has written a letter to the office of Durham’s police and crime commissioner, Joy Allen, to highlight how dispersal orders are only “short-term solutions”.

However, the newly elected councillor did praise the impact in preventing anti-social behaviour.

In the letter, Cllr Bihari said: “I believe the dispersal order has in large been a success in deterring and preventing anti-social behaviour in the areas in which it was active.

“It’s clear from the outcome and the data collected that this will be a useful tool for deterring anti-social behaviour in hotspot areas across the town going forwards.

The Northern Echo: Ferryhill Leisure Centre. Picture: GOOGLE.Ferryhill Leisure Centre. Picture: GOOGLE.

“However, I must express caution. A dispersal order in my opinion is only a short-term fix to a much wider problem.

“A dispersal order on its own is not enough, especially with an under-funded and under-resourced police service.

“As soon as a dispersal order expires with no long-term solutions, we will never progress.

He added: “My view is that multi-agency working is the way forwards. We need to be proactive. We need to bring the right agencies together, whether that be schools providing education, the local authority, or the police.”

The Northern Echo: Police officers were able to move on problem youths during the dispersal order. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.Police officers were able to move on problem youths during the dispersal order. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.

After sharing the letter online, the Ferryhill county councillor seemed to get a positive response from those that live in the area, with one person saying: “That’s great Curtis, we need more people writing to show how concerned we are,” while another added: “Well done, keep up the good work.”

During the dispersal order, several youths were caught by police officers and told to move on by the emergency services.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “A number of these youths were returned to their home addresses by police, and parents or guardians were informed.”

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