NEW police powers to tackle yobs who terrorise neighbourhoods should also be given to community protection officers, an MP has said.
The Government is planning to allow police and police community support officers (PCSOs) to ban people causing a nuisance from small areas for up to 48 hours.
Known as direction powers, they will mean officers can tell someone to stay away or face arrest. They are meant to deter nuisance street drinkers, potential vandals and thugs targeting streets or families.
But under the current plans only police or PCSOs will be able to use them – and not community protection officers, who are employed by the city council.
Nottingham North's Labour MP Graham Allen said the idea was the modern "clip round the ear" for troublemakers and should also be given to the council's 100-strong force of community protection officers (CPOs) in the city.
He said: "This power is a good one. A police officer can tell anyone causing a problem to clear off – it's a modern version of a clip round the ear.
"Why don't we also use the 100 other uniformed people who are also part of looking after the community?"
The powers are part of changes going through Parliament which would see antisocial behaviour orders, known as Asbos, scrapped.
Mr Allen has written to Home Secretary Theresa May, asking her to expand the powers to CPOs.
Direction powers will effectively replace dispersal orders – which first need an agreed zone to be set up and only apply for 24 hours.
Direction powers can be applied on the spot to one person or more over ten years of age and last for two days.
Richard Antcliff, head of neighbourhood enforcement at the city's community protection service, said: "It makes complete and utter sense to include this power for CPOs. It's not just about police officers.
"It could ban someone from just one street, to give residents some respite.
"Or if it was at night and someone was causing a lot of problems, they could say 'your night's over' and send them away."
However, a Home Office spokesman said: "Dispersal powers are a vital tool in protecting victims and communities from antisocial behaviour in public places. To ensure the new powers are used proportionately, they will only be used by police officers and PCSOs.
"Community protection officers and officers accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme have an important role in tackling antisocial behaviour by engaging with their communities."
