Banning drinking in public is just one part of tackling alcohol-related anti-social behaviour, says Bedford Borough Council.
Back in December 2020, a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering Harpur and Bedford town centre came into effect in response to the problem.
And in a presentation reviewing the first 12 months, the council heard that ensuring community safety was also about tackling deep-rooted problems linked to lifestyles and lifestyle choices.
Chief Inspector Corina House told the council’s Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee: “The PSPO was created to prevent drinking alcohol or having open alcohol containers within the area.
“The legislation says that the breaching of that PSPO is complete when a person does not cease drinking, or fails to surrender their drink.
“So drinking in the town centre itself doesn’t complete the offence, but if they fail to stop, or fail to surrender, then they commit an offence which breaches the PSPO and allows officers to enact the enforcement around that.
“The powers for the PSPO are afforded to police officers, PCSOs [Police Community Support Officers], and the local authority enforcement officers.
“Understandably, the local authority enforcement officers have a limit to how much they can do and engage with people who are intoxicated, so the enforcement side has fallen to the police.
“But the engagement side has very much been a joint effort.”
CI House said the PSPO had formed part of community policing’s daily business in community policing.
“It’s briefed on a daily basis to the officers, they all know the area, they know their powers, and they know what we’re trying to achieve here,” she said.
“But we’ve also had some days of action where there’s a real joint effort around enforcement, around communication, and also just engaging with our community.”
The committee was told that the work in the area was more than just stopping drinking and anti-social behaviour, it was about offering support as well.
John Molyneux, the council’s chief officer for regulatory services & culture, said: “A PSPO is the revision, if you like, of the legislation going back three or four years from what was a designated public place order.
“I’m sure many of us will remember we used to have an alcohol free zone, so this PSPO was the update, refresh and replacement of that alcohol free zone.
“Between the police and the council, and the council through the community safety partnership, that’s the method and the platform that we work together to tackle and solve these problems.
“And many of these problems are deep-rooted and linked to lifestyles and lifestyle choices.
“There are elements of enforcement, but there are also elements of support, recognising people who’ve got issues and problems perhaps with drugs and alcohol, whatever it might be.
“[We] support them through that and to improve obviously their lifestyle choices, but also then the wider environment,” he said.
by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
