Dispersal order issued for Wigan Town Centre across weekend

A Section 34 dispersal order has been authorised across Wigan Town Centre this weekend, as officers continue to utilise powers to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

There will be an increase in police presence around the wider area, with officers patrolling around nearby streets.

Officers will have the power to instruct and advise anyone who is causing, or very likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to leave an area immediately.

The order comes in place from 3pm today (Friday 19 September) and will last until 3pm Sunday (21 September).

The additional powers are due to reports of anti-social behaviour incidents in the town centre over previous weekends.

Neighbourhood Inspector Morris, from GMP's Wigan district, said: “We issued a dispersal order at the start of the week and are once again doing so to tackle anti-social behaviour which has been causing issues within the town centre recently.

“This order grants officers the powers to instruct people to leave areas if they are causing issues – and they won’t hesitate to do so to help ensure the law-abiding public can visit the town centre without the fear of ASB.

“If you have any queries, do please speak to an officer, who will be more than happy to assist you.”

You can report instances of anti-social behaviour to police via 101 or our Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk. Always call 999 in an emergency.

You can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.