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Last month, a gay couple were trapped in their home after a gang of young people taunted and attacked them in the street outside their house. They had to rely on friends to bring them food because they were too scared to go out.

Thankfully, homophobic attacks such as this one are not a regular occurrence in Camden, North London. But this was one in a line of incidents that has persuaded Camden Council to allow the police to introduce a dispersal notice for the second summer in a row.

A dispersal notice gives the police additional powers to ban intimidating groups of people causing antisocial behaviour from designated areas for up to 24 hours. Police can also take unaccompanied children aged under 16 home to their parents or guardians if they are found in the zone after 9pm. 

There has been a lot of debate about dispersal notices. Some question whether they really solve problems of antisocial behaviour and crime, or just push it around and infringe civil liberties. 

Different areas will no doubt have different approaches to using the powers, but in Camden we have made some things very clear. Most importantly, these measures are not a curfew for teens. Our aim is for more young people to feel safe while out and about in Camden. The bottom line is that young people who don't cause trouble won't be affected by these powers. 

In the ward I represent in Camden, police were dealing with serious problems of disorder. Some youths were attacking cyclists, and gangs from other parts of London were congregating in the area to play out turf warfare. Despite a lot of good work to calm tensions, summer is when trouble has historically flared, and the residents needed a break.

A dispersal notice was introduced last summer and the results showed some dramatic changes. Youth-related calls to the police dropped by 66 per cent, crime allegations by just over 35 per cent, actual bodily harm by 66 per cent, and robbery by 60 per cent. Only eight young people were taken home and referred to the local youth offending team. None were arrested for breach of a notice.

But the statistics don't tell the whole story. I saw how the area felt different. Parks were packed and many more young people felt safe to play outside. One elderly resident said she'd had the best night's sleep in years.


Clearly, the introduction of a dispersal notice won't solve the problems of crime and antisocial behaviour in the long-term. This isn't the intention of using it. What it does do though is give immediate relief for residents.  

Camden already has a wide range of support and activities for young people to address youth crime in the longer term, including the youth offending team's work to turn around existing offenders. Youth inclusion and support panels ensure all agencies work together to stop children drifting into criminality.

We have used dispersal notices only when necessary over the past year. We've learnt as we go along, and taken on board concerns from youth workers who thought the powers would interfere with their work.

Our message is clear. Youth workers play a crucial role in engaging young people and encouraging them to build skills and move away from crime. The dispersal notice has to work with them, not against them. This can only be achieved with constant dialogue with the police. That is why we've agreed that local officers who know the areas and the people will patrol the zones.

We can't solve all the problems of crime and antisocial behaviour overnight. But, while we work together to address the causes of crime, dispersal notices have proved a useful additional tool to stop trouble before it starts. 

Anna Stewart is a Labour councillor and the executive member for community safety at Camden Council.