Gang violence and unlicensed music events have led police to issue dispersal and stop and search orders in Brent.

A section 60 stop & search has been authorised from 2pm today (July 31) until 5am tomorrow morning throughout Brent.

The order provides additional police powers to robustly police the area and reassure the community.

@MPSBrent said on Twitter: “This is due to recent gang violence in the area and linked UME (unlicenced music events).”

A separate section 34 dispersal order has been put in place in Stonebridge and surrounding areas from 4pm today until 4pm on Sunday (August 2).

@MPSBrent said this is “due to anticipated antisocial behaviours, crime and disorder around the Ace Cafe, on the North Circular Road”.

Dispersal orders provide police with the extra powers to break up groups of two or more people, where they believe their behaviour is causing a nuisance, harassment or distress.

Mark Wilsmore, founder and chief of Ace, said: “We shut our doors on March 23 with the rest of the country.

“Since then even when closed completely, crowds have been gathering around that stretch of the North Circular Road and it’s been ongoing.

“We’ve been in dialogue with the police.

Motorbikes and cars are involved on the North Circular Road. The whole thing is bubbling up everywhere - that stretch of carriageway with the railway bridge is very inviting.”

Mark, who turns 63 on August 1, added people should be more mindful of Covid and social distancing. “I’m the wrong side of 21 and most of my peer group get agitated with the topic of youngsters,” he said.

“All through the ages with stories of plagues the rich flee the city and towns and ride it out and the rest, the vast majority, go into nihilistic, nothing we can do about it, let’s have a party. That dynamic is all through history.

“It’s so sad, people losing work, furlough coming to an end. I really encourage everyone to social distance or it [covid] won’t go away at all.”

The Ace Cafe is presently open from 8am to 6pm weekdays and to 7pm at weekends.

George Psuchnikas, Ace director, said: “We know of this dispersal. We are closed in the evenings and the carpark is also sealed. We have been assisting police and they have our full support.”