From 1st November 2004 a six-month Dispersal Order will be in place in Fir Vale. This includes Wensley Estate, Osgathorpe Park, and Page Hall. There will be a highprofile police presence every day to deal with problems around ‘Class A’ drug dealing, violent crime, the carrying of weapons and anti-social behaviour.
The order will allow police to move on any group of two or more people and there will be a curfew between 9pm and 6am for young people under the age of 16. John Ekwubiri, Community Safety Inspector for Burngreave, told the Messenger:
“This is short-term pain for long-term gain. The order has been put in place because of antisocial behaviour and drug dealing and is in response to calls from councillors, forums and residents. It is not related to the incident of the burnt-out car in Osgathorpe, which I am looking into to find out why the police response was so slow.”