Since November 2024, reports of youths and young adults gathering in Liverpool city centre have steadily increased, with persistent and unreasonable behaviour. So reports Liverpool City Council, which has gone out to consultation about a public spaces protection order (PSPO) to cover parts of the city centre.
The PSPO would ban anyone overing their face with any coverings ‘save for specific items of personal clothing which reflect the individualโs cultural values’. The council explains that ‘CCTV footage often shows individuals concealing their identities and carrying weapons’. The council also reports ‘an under reporting of incidents due to concerns of fear and retribution if seen to engage with authorities’.
Also proposed for a ban are swearing, verbal abuse or gesticulating; and ‘throwing, kicking or otherwise propelling objects at another personsโ property or business premises without their consent’. The order would also ban being part of a group or gathering of six or more, including refusing to leave any shop, commercial or recreational premises when asked to leave. The consultation runs to September 28.
Enforcement
Meanwhile environmental enforcement officers have taken to the streets. The council says this marks the final stage in a three-step plan to address illegal littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling. Consultations with residents have shown that these issues were among their main everyday concerns. The council has hired the contractor Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to anyone caught offending. Since June, litterers face a ยฃ150 penalty, while those caught dog fouling will be ordered to pay ยฃ100. A tiered penalty system has been introduced for fly-tipping, which starts at ยฃ500 and can rise.
The WISE officers will support the work being done by the Councilโs internal Environmental Crime Enforcement team. In one month, the team issued 45 FPNs for illegally disposed of waste, including a ยฃ1000 penalty for what the council describes as a significant amount of fly-tipping. They also engaged with over 250 business and residents about the correct way to dispose of waste.
WISE already works with 31 local authorities and in such cities as Manchester, and Birmingham (featured in the September edition of Professional Security Magazine). To allay concerns the council says it has not set any FPN targets for either its internal staff or contractors, and says the priority instead is to encourage behaviour change.
Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene said: โIntroducing more environmental enforcement officers means that we can commit even more time and resources to tackling environmental crimes. Our goal is to help promote positive behaviour and show people who donโt respect our city that it will not go unseen.
โWe arenโt trying to catch anyone making an honest mistake โ instead, we want to take action against people who are deliberately messing up our streets. People come from far and wide to see our beautiful city. For them, and most importantly for the people who live and work here every day, weโre doing everything we can to keep the city clean and tidy.โ
John Dunne, Managing Director of WISE said: โWISE delivers a wide range of environmental investigations and enforcement services across the UK and has consistently contributed to the reduction of environmental crime and the cost of cleansing associated with it. Our core objective is to support Liverpool in achieving long-term improvements in local environmental quality by targeting problem areas using an โintelligence-ledโ approach. This includes the use of geo-fencing technology and responding directly to feedback and complaints from residents.
โWe will employ a firm but proportionate methodology to address environmental offences, underpinned by the use of body-worn cameras and mobile technology to verify offender details and issue fixed penalty notices efficiently and lawfully.โ
About PSPOs
PSPOs, widely used in urban areas, typically to counter nuisances such as fouling by dogs, fall under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. A PSPO lasts for up to three years, then lapses or must be renewed. A person commits an offence if they fail to comply with the order.
Photo by Mark Rowe: Liverpool, dawn, from River Mersey.
