THE issue of anti-social behaviour in Pickering saw police issue a dispersal order last night, and arrest one person for possession of drugs.

The dispersal order placed on "three males" meant that if they returned to the area they could be arrested.

The number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the town has prompted Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Martin Dennison to issue a statement.

In it, he asks that people report anti-social behaviour to the police first - and not simply put it on social media.

“We are aware of residents’ concerns about incidents of anti-social behaviour in the Pickering area and I’d like to reassure them that we are working hard to deal with the situation," he said.

“There are different approaches we can take to deal with anti-social behaviour, ranging from voluntary Acceptable Behaviour Contracts through to issuing dispersal orders and we have been employing a number of methods.

“Over the past week we have been running high-visibility public order patrols, to provide reassurance to the local community and have issued dispersal orders in the town centre, as a preventative measure.

“Alongside our local agency partners, a multi-agency problem solving plan has been created and a cross-partnership operation is soon to be launched in response to the issue.

“I would appeal to all local residents in the first instance to report any incidents of anti-social behaviour to police, rather than to post anything onto social media sites.

“By reporting these issues to police, it enables us to build a picture of intelligence so that a measured and appropriate police response can be delivered.

"By sharing these issues on social media sites, rather than remedy the situation it can inflame it and can even constitute a criminal offence.

“I would appeal to local residents to keep working with us to keep Pickering safe, and please do contact us on 101 if you have any concerns or questions.”