A round-up of the latest developments in PSPOs in England and Wales.
Northampton-based West Northamptonshire Council is proposing a PSPO ‘to tackle issues caused by anti-social motor vehicle related activities’, according to a report to a Cabinet meeting on June 3. The report by Kevin Fagan, Community Safety Strategy Manager sets out that (as elsewhere) ‘car cruising events have been taking place on roads and other public places within West Northamptonshire for several years. These meets regularly result in racing, drifting, performing stunts such as doughnuts, wheel spins and handbrake turns and other anti-social motor vehicle related activities, such as playing loud music, revving engines and sounding car horns excessively and loudly, and generally obstructing roads, pavements and car parks.’ The largest such meets have been known to block the road and have 160 cars and several hundred spectators.
As for police response, the report notes that such meets are often late on Friday or Saturday night, a time of peak demand on the police. Cars (and spectators) have gathered off the A5 at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT), the A45 off Junction 16 of the M1, the Sixfields Roundabout in Northampton and the Moulton bypass on the A43, and in the villages of Middleton Cheney and Roade; the report noted that neighbouring councils have orders in place (such as Milton Keynes) and ‘people are consequently travelling to Northamptonshire’. Hence the proposed PSPO is district-wide. The public consultation as required by law found support for the proposal, while some defended cruising ‘as a legitimate leisure pursuit which causes no harm’. Some of those who replied to the consultation suggested that not all incidents got reported and recorded by the authorities.
Consultation
Meanwhile, the Home Office has gone out to consultation on the Government’s proposals to amend secondary legislation to reduce the disposal timeframes for seized vehicles. The document admits that ‘anti-social behaviour involving vehicles is wide ranging and encompasses off-road bike misuse, illegal motorbike and car racing, noisy and dangerous motorbike use and aggressive or inconsiderate driving’.
Home Office Minister for Crime and Policing Dame Diana Johnson said: “Antisocial and reckless driving brings misery to communities across the country, from dangerous street racing to off-road bikes tearing through local parks. By enabling police to seize and dispose of these vehicles within just 48 hours, we’re giving our officers the tools they need to deliver immediate results and providing communities the swift justice they deserve.
“As part of our Plan for Change, these new powers send a clear message that antisocial behaviour, whatever form it takes, will not be tolerated in our local communities.”
In Nottinghamshire, Mansfield District Council has gone out to consultation towards a renewing of its PSPO. It has one dating from 2016 and covering various parts of the district, prohibiting behaviours such as consuming alcohol in children’s play areas and requiring dog walkers to clean up after their dogs.
David Evans, Assistant Director for Health, Communities and Insight, said: “We want to hear from as many residents, businesses, and visitors as possible during this consultation on the renewal of our Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). These powers play a vital role in helping us tackle anti-social behaviour and protect the wellbeing of our communities. By having your say, you can help ensure our public spaces remain safe, welcoming, and enjoyable for everyone. Your views really do matter, and they will help shape how we use these important tools to respond to the needs of our district.”
Gateshead town centre has a PSPO covering street drinking and anti-social behaviour. The council recently recruited a Town Centre Ambassador and plans to recruit a further two in June. Angela Douglas, Gateshead councillor and chair of the Gateshead Community Safety Board, said: “We’re extremely proud of the work being done to improve safety in our town centre and create welcoming spaces for everyone to enjoy. We’ve already seen the positive impact of partnership working in the town centre, such as the reduction in anti-social reports through Project Shield funding from the PCC [police and crime commissioner].
“Partnership working is the key to success. By working together with the police, PCC, businesses in the town centre and the wider community, we hope to show how our pride in the area can make our town centre thrive.”
For more about Project Shield, funded by the former Rishi Sunak Government’s Hotspot Action Fund, visit the Northumbria PCC website.
PSPO background
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) date from the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Councils can make them for up to three years (when they must be renewed, or lapse) to cover nuisances or so-called low-level crimes such as littering and dog fouling in a defined public area. Authorised officers, typically police, PCSOs, community safety officers and hired authorised officers can issue Fixed Penalty Notices.
