The renewal by police of a drive to disperse antisocial gatherings in the White Hill area of Sandys has been applauded by residents.Some saw the recent beating of a 46-year-old man at one of the area’s notorious hangouts as symptomatic of a surge in openly hostile behaviour.“They beat a man out back of Burrows Plumbing and an ambulance had to come pick him up,” one lifelong resident said, adding that they had felt too intimidated to intervene.Conceding that people had traditionally socialised by sitting on walls, the resident said a more aggressive element needed to be brought to heel.“They’re making noise and cursing loudly at all hours of the night, acting crazy in the road and standing in the way of traffic, drinking and smoking and getting into fights. You see young children walking around with bottles, yelling at 2am, and when you try to say something you get threatened.“I think it was a good idea for police to bring this dispersal back into effect. They need to keep it, because somebody is really going to get hurt. These young boys think they’re innocent, but they’re deceived.”The 30-year resident added: “They glare at you, and dare you to call the police.”The get-tough measure, granting broad powers for police to move antisocial gatherings in public areas, was challenged last month in Magistrates’ Court, but reissued this weekend.White Hill resident Vernon Symonds became the first to be arrested, on September 13, under the dispersal authority from Section 110 of the Criminal Code Act.He was held by police for refusing to comply with an order to move on, but argued that authorities hadn’t explained themselves.The case was adjourned by Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner for a date to be fixed in the Supreme Court.At the time, the two-week Authority had been due to expire. A new one will last until midnight, October 19.One day into the order, The Royal Gazette found White Hill and environs quiet.A group of young men relaxing at a private staircase called the latest measure “ridiculous”.“Nothing ain’t happening around here,” one said. “Just the youth playing around. It don’t make no sense. This 110 covers our whole neighbourhood. They check you out even if you’re in the yard or the driveway. And White Hill Field is a recreational area.”An Arnold’s Maximart employee said a group had gathered at White Hill Field just after the order kicked in on Saturday, but that it had been quiet since.“They don’t really bother me, but maybe that’s because I’m from around here,” she said.Another resident said she’d lived there more than 20 years.“The whole thing gets exaggerated,” she said, of antisocial behaviour.Others described a campaign of intimidation against residents speaking out.“It’s only in the last six or so years that these children started acting out,” said one man, who has lived seven years in the area. “As close as we are to Somerset, some of these young guys can’t even go up there. It’s something that I would have never thought I would see.”He said the dispersal initiative had been effective, but added: “Police need to be around a bit more often. I can guarantee you, once they stop making their checks, they’ll be back.“For the most part it’s the younger groups. They’re disrespectful with their language, they’re loud, and there is drug use. It wouldn’t be so bad if they were more inland, but they’re in public, by the main road. They do put a fear in some people.”The Section 110 initiative was first unrolled in Somerset in May, around Cambridge and Somerset Roads.“I’ve seen how it worked in some areas up there,” he said. “They had their spots like Royal Navy Field where you’d see tons of guys. Now there’s only a handful there. It’s worked here to a certain extent. What the guys need to do is go out and find jobs.”He said Bermudians were losing their culture, being easily susceptible to gangster mores which “aren’t suited to Bermuda”.A couple described how one elderly man had been robbed by two young men three times — most recently for the $2 in his pocket.The 30-year resident said they feared for their older relatives suffering “retaliation” just for objecting to antisocial youth cutting through their garden.“I honestly feel, even though we complain about them on a regular basis, that police are doing their job. These boys are getting out of control. I watched one of them almost get hit by a truck because he’d made up his mind that he wasn’t getting out of the road.”According to a police spokesman, the service has taken legal advice following last month’s legal challenge and will continue to exercise its powers.Assistant Commissioner of Police David Mirfield said the authority to disperse groups was “likely to be issued in other areas”.He added that the powers under Section 110 might not be appropriate everywhere.“But I want to re-emphasize that the powers under Section 110 have and will only be used following full consultation with the affected communities.”