DISPERSAL order zones designed to tackle antisocial behaviour across Oxford have not been renewed despite resulting in more arrests and fewer complaints.

Police first put a zone in place in Speedwell Street, St Ebbes, in January 2014.

Following its initial success, they renewed it and added a second zone across St Clement’s in August 2014.

But despite the orders’ success, they will not be renewed, with Thames Valley Police saying they can now better tackle the problems with new powers.

Insp Andy Thompson said: “The thing with dispersal orders is they are like a sticking plaster, while other efforts go on to improve the area in the longer term.

“There’s legislation that overrides this and means we can deal with problems in a different way.”

In the year before the order was introduced in Speedwell Street, 2013, there were 50 arrests. This rose to 68 after the dispersal order was brought in and police cracked down on antisocial behaviour.

There were 275 complaints of trouble in St Clement’s in the first half of 2014 before the order was introduced.

But during the six months the zone was in place, there were just 46 police incidents connected to antisocial behaviour, and drugs and alcohol offences, and 30 arrests.

Dispersal orders came from the Antisocial Behaviour Act 2003 and meant police could break up groups of people even if they were not actively committing crime.

People who did not comply could be fined up to £2,500 or jailed for three months.

But the two orders have now run out and police have not to renewed them for the remainder of this year, instead using new powers under the Antisocial Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.

It means police can now ban people from an area for up to 48 hours and arrest them if they do not comply.

Insp Thompson said: “The new powers mean we don’t have to keep renewing the need for people to leave when often it might be done and dusted after 48 hours.”

The Speedwell Street dispersal order aimed to tackle homeless drinkers.

Chief executive of the charity Oxford Homeless Pathways Lesley Dewhurst said she was confident the police will still be able to monitor the area now the order has ended. She said: “We work closely with the police to reduce antisocial behaviour and alcohol-related behaviour. These new powers are quicker and will be more effective.

“Dispersal orders are quite cumbersome and quite difficult for the police to monitor without standing in the street the whole day.”

Leatrice Beeson, who lives in Anchor Court, which is covered by the St Clement’s zone, said: “I have not noticed any return of the layabouts or extra litter. I haven’t seen them in ages. I hope they have found somewhere else to go.”

The 90-year-old hoped street drinkers would not return now the order has expired.

She said: “I think we will have to wait and see if they come back once the weather gets better. There’s no way of knowing at the moment.

“We have had them on and off for years.”

Her neighbour Anna Kostra agreed, and said: “The order has been absolutely fantastic. It’s much better. It’s hard to say if the problems will come back again. I have no idea.”