New powers to combat anti-social behaviour in children as young as 10

Section 35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014 came into effect on October 20 and allows officers to forcibly move any person from a specified area and forbid them from returning for up to 48 hours.
Since being introduced last month the powers have been used by the local police force around 20 times, according to Newbury town centre officer Sgt Andy Bone.
The majority of these were issued at night, and the power has been used twice at incidents in Newbury town centre and Pangbourne.
Any breach of the order can be punished by a prison sentence and so far in this area there have been three cases of people breaching the order.
One man, a 19-year old from Abingdon, was arrested on Sunday and later cautioned for breaching an exclusion order covering Newbury town centre.
Sgt Bone said: “I think this is a really great power, I really do. It is designed to be more flexible and to help support the public more effectively.
“It allows us to get anti-social behaviour not only out of the town centre but also out from residential areas.”
The legislation says that any person aged 10 or above can be asked by a police officer to leave a location if they suspect the person is likely to cause members of the public to be “harassed, alarmed, or distressed” or to cause crime or disorder.
On the new powers being used on children as young as 10, police anti-social behaviour co-ordinator Peter Duffy said: “We would be looking at taking them home.
“We have a duty of care and also a duty to safeguard them.”
Speaking last week at a neighbourhood watch meeting, Sgt Bone said the new powers were designed to replace the old ASBOs which he said had become “a badge of honour” for offenders, particularly in gangs.
He said: “We can now put a dispersal order in place for up to 48 hours. It can be implemented anywhere.”
He admitted: “There is a bit of nervousness as a power as to how we are going to use it.”
The new legislation replaces Section 30-36 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 which gave police forces in England and Wales the power to disperse groups of two or more where there is persistent anti-social behaviour, and to take home children under the age of 16 who were out on the street and unaccompanied by an adult between 9pm and 6am.
West Berkshire Council spokesperson Joanne Bassett said: “The Section 35 powers are carefully monitored and have to be authorised by a police officer of at least the rank of inspector or above who is also satisfied that the use of the power is necessary.
“The council is fully supportive of these measures.
“Reducing and preventing anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder in the district can only be viewed as a good thing for our residents.”