High Court extends car-cruising injunction for two more years

A High Court judge has agreed that an injunction banning car cruising in the Black Country should remain in place for a further two years.

The injunction, which first came into force in February 2015, bans people from taking part in a car cruise anywhere within Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell or Walsall, or from promoting, organising or publicising any such event in the same area.

At a review hearing into the effectiveness of the injunction held at the High Court in Birmingham yesterday (21 February), His Honour Judge McKenna heard evidence of the impact it has had over the last 4 years.

The court was told that the injunction had acted as a deterrent to those previously involved in, or considering becoming involved in, car cruising, and had significantly reduced instances of car cruising throughout the region.

However, the court was also told that the problem had not been totally eliminated, with police receiving more than 1,000 reports related to car cruising in the Black Country between October 2017 and December 2018.

City of Wolverhampton Council said enforcement action had seen 47 respondents subject to committal proceedings for breaching the injunction since 2015, including 32 within the last 12 months. One defendant received an immediate custodial sentence of 3 months, 14 were given suspended sentences of up to 6 months while others received fines of up to £2,000 and were ordered to pay costs. A further 12 respondents have given undertakings to the court. In addition, more than 100 warning letters have been issued, and in all but one instance no future offending behaviour had been reported.

In her evidence to the court, Joanne Mason, the manager of the council's Anti-Social Behaviour Team, said: "Since the injunction came into force, following a carefully orchestrated and extensive publicity campaign and effecting policing of the affected areas, I am pleased to report that on the whole the injunction has had a positive impact across the Black Country. It has significantly reduced the problem and eliminated car cruising altogether in some of the former hotspots."

His Honour Judge McKenna, sitting as a High Court judge, said he was "entirely satisfied that the injunction should be continued" until at least February 2021.

Cllr Hazel Malcolm, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "Car cruising is not only illegal but also dangerous, putting the safety of participants and spectators at risk. It also generates late night noise and disturbances for people living near to hotspots. The injunction is playing a crucial role in helping the authorities tackle the nuisance, danger and anti-social problems it causes."

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