A Preston councillor who has spearheaded efforts to tackle antisocial behaviour in a part of the city plagued by problems says new measures due to be approved this week must be actively enforced in order to bring about “real change”.
Suleman Sarwar was speaking ahead of the proposed implementation of a public spaces protection order (PSPO) covering parts of the St. Matthew’s and Fishwick areas.
If the new rules ultimately get the green light from Preston City Council’s cabinet on Wednesday (13 August), council officers and the police will be given a raft of powers – including to stop people swigging alcohol in the street and to force them to hand over their drinks. It will also become an offence to discard syringes and used condoms in public places.
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Breaches of any of the total of eight proposed regulations will be punishable by fixed penalty notices of up to £100.
The order would form part of a pincer movement to drive out both antisocial behaviour and organised crime from the ‘inner East Preston’ area.
Cllr Sarwar, who represents the St. Matthew’s ward, has repeatedly raised concerns about nuisance and dangerous activity in the area – including by trying to secure the removal of a phone box which often finds itself engaged with drug-taking, defecation and prostitution.
BT said it could not remove the facility – at the junction of Meadow Street and East View in Deepdale – because too many people still make calls from it. However, the blighted box would sit just within the new PSPO area – and so become a target for enforcement.
Speaking in his capacity as a ward councillor, Cllr Sarwar – who is also the city council’s cabinet member for climate change – said antisocial behaviour in St. Matthew’s was higher than anywhere else in Preston.
“I host regular PACT (police and communities together) meetings, speak directly with residents and have consistently pushed for this PSPO – because St Matthew’s has not had the attention it needs. That changes now.
“My aim is to make the area safer and cleaner – and the community has shown they are ready to play their part.
“The PSPO must now build on that momentum with the same urgency residents have shown, supported by clear and visible enforcement so people see real change on our streets,” Cllr Sarwar said.
He also said the new order would perfectly complement The Prosper Partnership – a multi-agency project recently launched across St. Matthew’s and Fishwick – in which the police work to combat serious and organised crime and others then join in the effort to rebuild the communities affected by it.
“If it wasn’t for the PACT meetings, the multi-agency work and the feedback from the community, we would not have kept this issue going or made sure it stayed on the agenda.
“Prosper is a direct result of that groundwork – it hasn’t just happened. Alongside the PSPO, this will really help address the problems residents have raised time and again in our ward,” Cllr Sarwar added.
How proper communities will help troubled places to prosper
The Prosper Partnership harnesses a combination of policing tactics and action from other organisations and residents to foster genuine communities – and help prevent organised crime groups from operating in the midst of the people who live in them.
It seeks to disrupt criminal activity and promote community resolutions to problems – with the likes of Preston City Council, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, the NHS, social services, housing associations, schools and colleges, local businesses and community groups all pitching in to achieve a long-term vision for a particular area.
The scheme – the premise of which was designed by the Home Office – is delivered in three phases:
Clear – police ruthlessly pursue gang members, using all available powers and tactics to clear an area – as seen already in Lancashire via the county’s ‘Operation Warrior’;
Hold – work is then done to ‘hold’ the location, so another gang cannot take control of it;
Build – further action follows, involving residents and partners, to build the community into an area where people want to live, work and visit.
Prosper launched in Preston earlier this summer, when Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said it was an opportunity for the city to build on the “successes” seen elsewhere.
“It is all about securing neighbourhoods that have been harmed by organised crime gangs, removing offenders and enabling partnership working that rebuilds communities.
“Through Operation Warrior, we are tackling organised crime at full force, taking drugs off our streets, safeguarding vulnerable people and ensuring that suspects are arrested and brought to justice.
“As part of my regular scrutiny sessions with the Chief Constable, I will ensure there is no let-up in the policing response to tackling criminal gangs.
“Our ‘clear, hold, build’ strategy involves tackling crime, protecting the area – and ultimately allowing partners to strengthen community bonds in Preston and beyond,” Mr. Grunshaw said.
Chief Inspector Julie Rawsthorne held out the prospect that the initiative could be extended to other parts of Preston.
“The Prosper Partnership will be launching within the Fishwick and St Matthew’s areas where community input and feedback will be championed in order to make it a safer place to live, work and visit – with the hope to roll the project out to other areas within the city.
“Like elsewhere in the country, serious and organised crime presents a very real threat to our communities, taking many forms – including drug trafficking, organised acquisitive crime and exploitation,” Ch Insp Rawsthorne explained.
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