TWO Chester men have been handed five-year Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) in what police describe as a last resort following numerous attempts to offer support.

Within the past two weeks, William Watton-Roberts and Jamie Tomlinson received the CBOs at Chester Magistrates Court.

Watton-Roberts displayed aggressive and threatening behaviour including significant verbal abuse with Chester, while Tomlinson, an aggressive beggar, used the guise of a plausible story of needing money for a hostel or food, as the background to his request when begging or swapping change for monetary advantage.

Cheshire Police and Cheshire West and Chester Council have worked together to address the concerns of the community and prevent anti-social behaviour being committed in the area. The work undertaken by the Chester Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Unit and Local Policing Unit brought evidence to the courts of both Watton-Roberts and Tomlinson's anti-social behaviour within Cheshire.

The ASB unit is a partnership between the police and the council which uses early intervention and prevention as the cornerstone of its work to prevent anti-social behaviour and crime in the community.

It only applies for CBOs as a last resort. The process of interventions follows a pathway of street warnings, advisory letters, acceptable behaviour discussions and contracts and community protection notice warning letters prior to any applications to the court.

Police say in both these cases, neither man engaged in any of the organised interventions meetings. Both instead chose to ignore the invitations to two or three meetings respectively or even make contact, so the offer of advice and support was not a route taken. The only available option for the ASB unit was to go down a legal route to prevent further behaviour impacting on the community.

The preventative ancillary orders are applied for following a conviction of criminal offences.

Watton-Roberts had showed a total disregard for police, partner agencies and members of the public who have witnessed his anti-social behaviour. After being convicted of possession of a controlled class B drug he was made subject to a CBO with the following conditions.

He must not:

* Use or encourage others to use foul, abusive, insulting, offensive, threatening, disorderly or intimidating language or behaviour in any public place or towards any person in Cheshire.

* Possess any form of psychoactive substance as defined by the Psychoactive Substance Act 2016 in any public place in England and Wales.

* Enter the Chester Inner Ring Road area – save to attend Chester Crown Court or the Chester Family Proceedings Court in any official capacity as a defendant, witness or victim.

Tomlinson's behaviour preyed on the goodwill of people to ultimately to fund his drug use. He approach large numbers of people pedalling the story and even approached children as young as 11. After being found guilty of theft, he was made subject to a CBO with the following conditions.

He must not:

* Cause harassment, nuisance, distress or annoyance by seeking to beg from any person in any public place in Cheshire.

* Approach any member of the public in the county of Cheshire for the purpose of asking for money or asking to swap any change.

* Enter any car park in Cheshire, other than the purpose for which it is designed to be used for.

* Enter any public toilets in Cheshire for the purpose of any drug activity involving illegal or NPS (New Psychoactive Substances – more commonly known as legal highs) drugs.

* Enter the Chester Inner Ring Road area, except to go directly to and from the job centre on City Road via the route of Crewe Street and Francis Street.

Local Policing Unit Inspector Barry Brown said: "Businesses, residents and visitors should not have to suffer at the hands of these anti-social individuals who choose to impact on our streets.

"The local policing team will not tolerate this type of behaviour and will continue address this."

Sam Chapman, Cheshire West and Chester Council's community safety officer, said: "These orders are preventative orders, the conditions of which are designed to stop Tomlinson and Watton-Roberts committing further anti-social behaviour and criminal acts.

"Tomlinson and Watton-Roberts have no consideration at all on the effect their behaviour has on population of Chester and their orders are completely necessary to protect the public, who have a right to feel safe."

* Anyone who sees Tomlinson or Watton-Roberts breaking any of their conditions of their Criminal Behaviour Order is urged to contact Cheshire Police on 101.