THE police are to be given greater powers to deal with yobs, stalkers and those who are threatening and abusive.

States Members yesterday gave their strong backing to a new law designed to give officers the upper hand in dealing with nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

The Draft Crime (Disorderly Conduct and Harassment) (Jersey) Law will, for example, enable officers to arrest someone who was being disorderly even if they were not drunk. Under existing laws, they only have powers to act if the person was drunk and disorderly.

Home Affairs Minister Wendy Kinnard, who proposed the new legislation, explained that a policeman’s hands were currently tied even, for example, when he saw someone spitting at an innocent bystander or verbally abusing that person. The behaviour was clearly disorderly, but no charge had been committed if the ‘offender’ was not also drunk. Similarly, there is presently no law preventing a person from stalking another.

Unlike in the UK, Jersey police are at present powerless to deal with threatening behaviour