New rules are coming into force to try and halt issues with street drinking and anti-social behaviour across a swathe of the eastern part of the city.
Preston City Council say the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) kicks in from Tuesday 23 December.
It covers parts of St Matthews, Fishwick and Deepdale – an area known as ‘Inner East Preston’ – which has been blighted by ‘persistent and unreasonable’ behaviour in public spaces according to the city council.
The order, the second in the city after one was brought in across the city centre area this time last year, means council officers and police can issue on the spot fines to those breaking the rules.
However, Blog Preston revealed earlier this year no fixed penalty notices had been issued for the city centre order in its first few months of operation . The city council defended this saying their officers had been able to have conversations and educate people in the first instance.
Cabinet member for environment and community safety, councillor Freddie Bailey, said: “Anti-social behaviour can have a significant impact on communities and individuals who experience it and through the introduction of this new PSPO and the new Anti-Social Behaviour Officer, we hope to address these issues. It’s important that residents of Preston feel safe in the community.”
Cllr Bailey has faced pressure from his fellow cabinet member, Cllr Sarwar, who represents the St Matthews ward, for the rules to ‘be actively enforced’.
The council say they have taken on a dedicated anti-social behaviour officer which will cover the Preston wards and be focused initially on the Inner East Preston area. They will work closely with the police.
Neighbourhood policing chief inspector for Preston, Helen Bevan, said: “Working alongside Preston City Council, as part of the Prosper Partnership, which is currently running in St Matthews, we are committed to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in our communities.
“We know that anti-social behaviour can have an overwhelming impact on its victims and on the wider community. Everyone has the right to be safe and feel safe in Preston, and through Operation Centurion, we are committed to working with our communities and partners to continue to tackle ASB.”
The city council say the ‘early weeks’ of the new order will see individuals and groups spoken to before any fixed penalty notices are issued by either themselves or police.
Where is covered?
A map has been released showing the area covered which includes New Hall Lane along with the trouble spot Deepdale Enclosure in Deepdale Road.
Full list of rules under the Public Space Protection Order
The order is brought in under Section 59 of the anti-social behaviour crime and policing act 2014
- No persons shall consume alcohol or have an open alcohol container within the Prohibition Area after having been requested by an Authorised Officer to cease consumption of alcohol or hand over the container (unless in an otherwise lawful premises).
- No persons shall ingest, inhale, inject, smoke, or otherwise use intoxicating substances within the Prohibition Area.
- No persons shall urinate or defecate in any public place (other than a public toilet) within the Prohibition Area.
- No persons shall discard hypodermic needles or syringes in any public place within the Prohibition Area (except in an appropriate ‘sharps’ container).
- No persons shall discard used condoms in any public place within the Prohibition Area (except in an appropriate closed container).
- No persons shall obstruct a building entrance or exit, stairwell, or highway in the Prohibition Area after being asked to move by an Authorised Officer.
- No persons shall act or incite others to act in an anti-social manner likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to any person within a public space within the Prohibition Area.
- No persons shall refuse to provide their genuine name and address to an Authorised Officer for the purposes of enforcement of the Public Spaces Protection Order.
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