Police have arrested four teenage schoolgirls on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and having drugs, Sussex Police.
The arrests came during an outbreak of disorder at Barnham railway station, prompting the force to issue a dispersal order under section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
This afternoon (Sunday 31 March) Sussex Police said: “Police are continuing to respond and take action against anti-social behaviour and crime in Barnham.
“A section 34 dispersal order has been issued for the village from 2pm on Sunday 31 March to 2pm on Tuesday 2 April, giving police the power to disperse any groups gathering in the area and order them not to return for a period of up to 48 hours.
“The public can expect to see a heightened police presence while this order is in place to ensure it is enforced and to identify and deter any further anti-social or criminal behaviour.
“The dispersal order comes following an incident of disorder at Barnham railway station on Saturday evening (30 March) in which members of the public, including security staff, and officers were assaulted.
“Four girls aged 13, 14, 15 and 16 were arrested on suspicion of offences including assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis.
“Some of them remain in police custody at this time. The others have been bailed with conditions to prevent them going to Barnham railway station.”
Inspector Ross Wickings, of the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We have done a lot of work with the community and partners in Barnham to tackle recent anti-social behaviour and have been targeting our resources in areas we know have been impacted.
“Unfortunately, over the Easter weekend, we have seen groups of people travel into the village from elsewhere in Sussex and this has resulted in an unacceptable incident of disorder at the railway station on Saturday evening.
“We have worked with our colleagues in the British Transport Police to respond to and investigate these incidents.
“We have put a dispersal order in place to allow our officers to direct people to leave the area if we believe they are likely to commit or become involved in anti-social behaviour, crime or disorder.
“This is just one of the steps being taken to ensure the people in Barnham are safe and can feel safe.
“We will also have officers carrying out dedicated patrols and ensuring there is a high-visibility police presence in the village.
“We encourage people to speak to police if they have any concerns and to always report incidents to us, either online or by calling 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
“Any information or video footage relating to the disorder at Barnham railway station can be reported via the same channels, quoting serial 1307 of 30/03.”
