A dispersal zone has been authorised in East Acton until Thursday 26th January to help prevent anti-social behaviour and violence with injury. 

Ealing Police have announced that under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 they have put in place a dispersal zone between 5pm on Tuesday 24th January until 4:59pm on Thursday 26th January. 

The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 allows a constable in uniform to direct a person to leave a location and not return if they have reasonable grounds to suspect they are likely to: contribute to people being harassed, alarmed, or distressed, or likely to contribute to crime and disorder, and that the constable believes that getting this person to leave will contribute to reducing the likelihood of those things. 

These orders have to be in writing, give the specified area, and tell them when and how they are to leave the area. 

A constable can also confiscate property if they reasonably believe it can be used to cause distresses, harasses, or alarms other members of the public. 

A person who does not comply with these orders can be liable to being imprisoned for up to three months or be given a fine. 

The only restrictions under this act are that, an order cannot be given to someone under ten-years-old, this cannot prevent them from: going to their home, to their work, to their place of education or training, to somewhere they are required to attend under a court order, or to somewhere they are receiving medical treatment.