Teenagers challenge Blunkett's curfew

A flagship law-and-order policy that lets police impose curfews on children is to be challenged in court.

The battle comes not in a high-crime inner-city area but in the more affluent surroundings of Richmond-upon-Thames.

Since June police have had powers to stop and question any child under 16 spotted without an adult after 9pm in the centre of Richmond or on its riverbank.

Children without good reason to be out at night can be taken home if police believe they are at risk of getting into trouble. Rowdy groups of children or adults can be expelled from the area at any time of day and ordered not to return for 24 hours.

More than 30 further dispersal areas have come into effect in London in recent weeks, including one covering most of the West End and Soho.

Town hall chiefs and Scotland Yard deny the policy amounts to a curfew because officers use their discretion. But protesters have won the backing of civil liberties group Liberty, which

believes the law infringes human rights. If lawyers give the go-ahead a test case could begin within weeks.

Victory could force the scrapping of hundreds of dispersal areas set up around the UK since the powers, under the 2003 Anti-Social Behaviour Act, came into effect earlier this year.

Barry Hugill, spokesman for Liberty, said: "In our view there are serious doubts about the legality. A curfew in effect restricts the rights of all youngsters, not just those responsible for anti-social behaviour.

"We've reached a position where the largest capital in London is out of bounds at night to thousands of young people."

Supporters of the Richmond dispersal area say it is making the town centre feel safer and that it will be reviewed after six months. Tony Arbour, leader of the Tory-controlled council, said: "People come to Richmond for a quiet meal, a visit to the theatre or a stroll along the riverbank. The freedom we are concerned about is their freedom to enjoy the town without harassment.

"By and large the police will use these powers responsibly."

But Lib-Dem councillor Denise Carr said: "I don't think the police should be using these powers in an overbearing, insensitive way. Our borough commander made clear he expects them to be used constructively. Police don't have the resources to lock all these people up or take them home."

Official figures show Richmond has London's highest standard of living and below-average crime levels.

While police chiefs are supportive, some officers admit to fears that they could become a "glorified taxi service" driving teenagers home.

There are four areas of London with dispersal zones - Camden, the West End, Richmond and Hounslow. They have all been in place since the beginning of June.

Camden has two zones - the area from Mornington Crescent to Belsize Park and the Somers Town estate. In the first, 120 notices to disperse have been issued and there have been 13 arrests, while in Somers Town, 86 notices were served, eight of them to juveniles who were taken home.