POLICE officers from a Hampshire community plagued by antisocial behaviour have been granted permission to activate a dispersal order.

Council chiefs from Fareham agreed to the measures, which will allow officers to move on and discipline groups of youths misbehaving in a large part of Stubbington.

The order will cover the main shopping area, Stubbington Green, the recreation grounds and the community centre.

Recent police figures for the area show that more than 100 calls reporting disturbances in the village have been made to police in the last year.

Between April and December last year, 179 incidents of criminal damage and 15 assaults by youths were recorded in Stubbington.

Budgens supermarket in Stubbington Green is a particular hot spot for antisocial behaviour. In recent months security guards have been drafted in to protect workers from threatening and intimidating behaviour by congregating youths.

Speaking at a meeting of the council's executive committee, Sgt Karen Dawes of Fareham Police said recent figures highlighted a dramatic rise in bad behaviour.

She added: "A dispersal order doesn't solve the problem, but it's a good tool that we can use to try and combat crime in the area."

The order will give police the power to move on groups of youths who are thought to be causing a nuisance.

Officers will also have the power to inform the parents of persistently troublesome youngsters, and draw up good behaviour contracts with the offenders.

Vice-chairman of the executive committee Arthur Mandry said: "The dispersal order affects those that give police reasonable cause to believe they are putting fear into the minds of people trying to use the same places."

The order will be effective for six months.