STOP and searches have been carried out in Bournemouth town centre this week as the force tackles on-street drug dealing. 

Neighbourhood police officers have been patrolling the Lower Gardens on the lookout for suspicious activity. 

As well as the stop and searches, the officers have been issuing dispersal notices to “problem individuals” for up to 24 hours. 

This means if they were to return to the area in the assigned time, they can be arrested. 

A spokesman for Bournemouth police said: “We can use repeated issuing of these notices over time to bolster wider evidence and apply for a criminal behaviour order (CBO) off the back of a conviction at court.  

“[This means] we can prevent people entering a specified area for the period of the CBO for example 12 months.  

“CBOs take longer to put together and process through a court, so dispersal notices are an excellent way to disrupt behaviours in the interim.” 

Last month, the Lower Gardens came under fire by a senior Bournemouth councillor for being a “shambles” because of graffiti which is being left uncleaned. 

Stephen Bartlett said he went for a walk through the gardens and noted “the state, the graffiti, the damage” had left him “quite saddened and very disappointed”. 

Inspector Adrian Thompson, of the Bournemouth south neighbourhood policing team, previously said the force takes reports of ASB and associated crime and disorder “extremely seriously”.