Dispersal order issued for Boston amid suggestions of a rumoured planned protest

“We are aware of speculation,” a spokesman for the force said. “We confirm there is no planned protest.”

Lincolnshire Police says that over the past 24 hours there have been several cases of antisocial behaviour, causing ‘significant concern for the community’, that have been reported to the force.

“We have issued a dispersal order which prevents groups of people gathering in a specific area and gives our officers the power to exclude individuals from an area for up to 24 hours,” the spokesman said.

In addition to the dispersal orders, Section 60 and 60AA orders have also been put into place.

As a result, officers will be able to stop and search individuals or search vehicles for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments where necessary.

They will also have the power to order the removal of any item which they reasonably believe is being worn wholly or mainly for the purposes of concealing their identity.

“Both orders have been made following intelligence that we have received,” the spokesman said.

The dispersal order will be in place until 2.45pm tomorrow.

It encompasses the town centre and includes and is bordered by:

• Norfolk Street.
• A1137.
• John Adams Way.
• A52.
• Sleaford Road.
• Lister Way.
• Fydell Street.

Chief Inspector Richard Nethercott said: “Our officers will be patrolling the area and will deal with anyone behaving in an antisocial manner robustly. We would like to thank the majority of our community for their continued cooperation and support. We would urge anyone who notices anything suspicious or does not feel safe to contact our Neighbourhood Policing Team or call 101, quoting incident 227 of August 14.”