Masked men pictured on the streets of Nottingham on the first day of 'balaclava ban' as locals says there are not enough police to enforce crackdown

Masked men were still roaming the streets of Nottingham on Tuesday despite a ban on balaclavas coming into force. Terrified locals welcomed the new rules but questioned how they would be enforced claiming they rarely saw any police in the city. The Daily Mail watched on as several men on bikes rode through Nottingham's Market Square with their faces covered. Others were spotted wearing balaclavas in broad daylight near the city's train station. Nottingham is the first major city to introduce a so-called 'balaclava ban' aimed at tackling crime and anti-social behaviour typically carried out by young men in masks.Police say drug dealers and those carrying weapons use balaclavas to hide their identities. Masked men have been seen throwing fireworks from roofs and intimidating members of the public while a gang of balaclava-clad teenagers left a lone pregnant woman in fear when they raided her shop. The restrictions mean police and council officers can now require people to remove a face covering where their identity is being concealed to commit crime or behave anti-socially.The powers will include £70 on-the-spot fines, confiscation of the face covering and referral to an immediate justice programme requiring community work such as litter picking or cleaning off graffiti.Those who continue to flout the rules could be issued with a criminal behaviour order, which could ban them from the city centre indefinitely.The balaclava ban came into force on Tuesday and was welcomed by shoppers. But the Daily Mail saw several food delivery drivers seemingly flouting the order.Several safer city partnership officers were seen but they are not able to enforce the ban. Only police officers and Community Protection Officers can stop people in masks. A cyclist in a face covering pictured in Nottingham on Tuesday morning, the day the ban came into force A food delivery driver was also seen wearing a face covering in the city on Tuesday Safety partnership officers were on patrol in Nottingham on Tuesday - but only police have the power to enforce the ban on face masks Nottingham resident David Rhodes, 83, is in favour of the ban after being hit by a man on a bike wearing a balaclava Val Richmond also welcomed the ban but questioned how effective it would be Retired research scientist David Rhodes, 86, was among those welcoming the ban. He was struck by a cyclist in a balaclava who was riding in a pedestrianised area outside the Victoria Centre in Nottingham earlier this year.'They are really frightening, terrifying really,' he said.'But it will be very difficult to enforce - the police are very stretched already. They need to make an example of someone to show they are taking it seriously.'Ian Hands, from West Bridgford, said: 'I am all for it. It is very intimidating. The problem is how are they going to do it? We never see any police anyway. They are not going to have extra balaclava police are they?'Val Richmond, 73, who lives near Nottingham and travels into the city to shop, said: 'I agree with it. It is very intimidating. 'I have seen people with their faces covered lots of times - why are they hiding their faces if they have nothing to hide? But I rarely see any police so I am not sure how the ban will work.' Shop owner Hannah Byrne, 35, was pregnant and alone when a group of four or five balaclava-clad teenagers came into Knit, the wool shop she owns with her husband, and stole £50 worth of stock and ruined their window display in June last year.Her husband Dan Byrne, 37, said the group of youths came back the next day and stood outside the shop.He said: 'I would see (that) as intimidation. You can't paint that as any other thing.'Mr Byrne said he does not see how the new balaclava restrictions will be enforced 'when there's no police in town anyway'.He said: 'All we've got is community support officers and people like that who don't have the power, the police does.'And they're not scared of them, because they know they can walk off.'Nottinghamshire Police said officers investigated the incident at Knit and a 13-year-old boy was referred to the Youth Justice Service and handed a community resolution with interventions.Intervention programmes are designed to address the person's offending behaviour and reduce the risk of them committing further offences, a spokesperson for the force said.The balaclava ban was introduced by Nottingham City Council after it received responses from more than 2,200 people, with more than 90 per cent of them supporting action to tackle the issue. Ethan Radford, deputy leader of the council, questioned the need for anyone to wear one: 'It's the city centre,' he said. 'It's not a mountain. Unless you're taking part in high-octane adventure sports or in cold weather conditions, why on earth do you need to wear a balaclava?'He added: 'I think people should feel safe to be able to walk around and not have to look over their shoulder, wondering if the person who's covering their face has covered it for nefarious reasons.'Superintendent Chris Pearson, who is the city commander from Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'They are predominantly very young people, normally young males wearing balaclavas, and sadly, in a lot of circumstances, they are involved in drug dealing, carrying weapons.''We saw some particularly nasty incidents in Nottingham city centre last year involving weapons where people had their faces covered.'And then there's the other side of it, which is that persistent antisocial behaviour, and I can only imagine what it feels like for a member of the public to be enjoying the city centre, everything that it's got to offer, and then seeing a masked male throwing things off a roof at them.'That is really intimidating, isn't it? It would scare you to the point that you don't want to come into Nottingham city and that cannot happen.'The restrictions mean police and council officers can ask people to remove a face covering where their identity is being concealed to commit crime but it is not a blanket banEvidence gathered by Nottinghamshire Police identified more than 180 city centre incidents involving face coverings or balaclavas between June 2025 and June 2026.Around 75 per cent of the incidents analysed took place in locations such as Old Market Square, Clumber Street and the area around the Victoria Centre.The measure is however not a blanket ban on face coverings.It can only be enforced when officers reasonably believe a face covering is being used in connection with crime, anti-social behaviour or intimidating conduct. Clear exemptions will protect people who wear the coverings for legitimate reasons, including religious, health, medical or work needs.Wolverhampton City Council introduced powers governing face coverings in 2024, also under a public spaces protection order, to help tackle antisocial behaviour in the city centre.The order gives West Midlands Police authority to request people to remove face coverings if they have no reasonable grounds to wear them and people are using them to purposely disguise their identity.Stafford Borough Council approved plans, which will be introduced in December, requiring face coverings to be removed where they are being used in connection with antisocial behaviour or crime.Reform UK leader Sir Nigel Farage called for full face coverings, including those worn for religious reasons, to be banned in public, after masked anti-illegal migrant protesters gathered in Dover earlier this month.