RESIDENTS of a Hounslow estate plagued by anti-social behaviour have hailed the effectiveness of new police powers and called for the scheme to be extended.
Since June, officers have been able to move on potential troublemakers gathering around Legrace Avenue, in Hounslow West.
Householders this week said the creation of a 'dispersal zone', which ended last Tuesday, had made a huge difference to their lives.
They claimed the extra powers, coupled with the introduction of a CCTV camera, had dramatically reduced noise in the neighbourhood, allowing them to get a decent night's sleep.
Police are considering whether to extend the dispersal zone for another six months, with some residents calling for it to stay in place permanently.
One woman, who asked not to be named, said: "It's been a lot better since the camera went up and the dispersal zone was introduced.
"You still get groups hanging around sometimes, but before they were shouting and riding their scoot-ers around in the middle of the night, making it impossible to get to sleep."
Residents on the estate had also complained about drug-dealing, verbal abuse and harassment on their doorsteps almost every day.
Dispersal zones give police the power to ask groups causing or likely to cause anti-social behaviour to move on. They can be arrested if they return within 24 hours.
