Police arrest man who refused to comply with city centre dispersal order

A man was arrested after refusing to comply with a dispersal order issued to him in Nottingham city centre.

Neighbourhood officers were called to Sainsbury’s Local, in Carlton Street, following reports a man was acting aggressively towards staff and customers.

Upon arriving, the officers managed to persuade the man to leave but he returned a few hours later.

The officers therefore issued the 51-year-old with a Section 35 Dispersal Order which, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, give officers the power to exclude a person from an area for up to 48 hours.

Failure to comply with such an order can result in arrest.

When the man was issued with a S35 order, he threw it on the ground and refused to leave. He also threatened to punch one of the officers and so he was arrested for failing to comply with the order and using threatening words / behaviour.

During a police interview, the man admitted to the offences and apologised for his actions.

He was issued with a Community Resolution, which can be used by police forces to deal with low level offending. Such resolutions involve some form of reparation, such as a letter of apology.

Sergeant Chris Johnson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“The city centre team are committed to ensuring that Nottingham is a safe place to live, work and visit.

“Part of that commitment is responding to incidents such as this and undertaking proactive activity to clamp down on criminal and antisocial behaviour activity in the area.

“I hope this actions reassures the public that we won’t hesitate to enforce powers afforded to us to keep communities safe.”