Leamington police granted closure order on flat to safeguard vulnerable occupant

Leamington Police have said: “Officers from the neighbourhood team have for a long time been engaging with the occupant due to concerns about him being targeted and taken advantage of due to his vulnerabilities.

"In order to better protect him the closure order was applied for to give officers more power to deal with people found at the flat, and in September PC Heer went to court and a magistrate agreed that it was necessary.”

The order was granted for an initial three-month period.

This means that the occupant of the flat can have support workers, emergency services and certain family members in the flat, but anyone else can be arrested and face a prison sentence of up to 12 months.

PC Heer, from the Leamington Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "We have in the past used our closure order powers in response to serious anti-social behaviour, but this is the first time we have used one primarily to protect a vulnerable member of the public.

"We are pleased that the order was granted and will be robustly enforcing it where we find people in breach.”