Two youths have been banned from Thetford town centre for 48 hours as police carry out extra patrols following concerns about anti-social behaviour.
The two males were using abusive language towards shop workers, cycling in a pedestrianised area and climbing onto shop roofs.
Over the last month a number of complaints have been made to police about incidents of anti-social behaviour involving youths congregating and causing a nuisance in the town centre.
A dispersal area has been put in as part of police’s efforts to quash the problem and the two youngsters were issued with a Section 35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
They were then taken home to their parents.
If a Section 35 is breached, the person will be arrested.
Chief Insp Paul Wheatley, district commander for Breckland Police, said overall there had been a reduction in anti-social behaviour.
He said: “Anti-social behaviour remains a focus for policing in the town. We’ve had several reports of groups gathering in the centre, being aggressive towards members of the public and committing crimes. These patrols hope to tackle that.
“Once this initial phase is complete we will increase our response to tackle those who persistently offend and take appropriate action. This may include prosecution, civil injunctions and offering support through our partners.”
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