Agenda item

Eden Geddes, Community Safety Manager introduced the report. He said that the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) gave discretion and flexibility to officers to exercise enforcement where the specified conduct was causing harassment, alarm and distress detrimental to the locality. Embedding this order into the daily work of enforcement officers had been slow. This was because there had been a delay in the delivery of signage material and training of council and police officers.

Mr Geddes further said that enforcement using these new powers started in earnest in September 2018. It was therefore too early to review the impact of the PSPO. To date there had been no fixed penalty notices issued for breaches of this PSPO. This was due in part to the fact that Kent Police policy prohibited police officers or PCSOs from issuing fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to any person under the age of 18. In addition, the Council’s Community Safety Unit (CSU) took an incremental approach to enforcement. This meant that other options prior to issuing of an FPN for breach of PSPO were explored in the first instance.

The Council had procedures in place to issue penalty notices on behalf of Police/PCSOs. However it was worth noting that the CSU had limited resources. This created a future potential risk for a significant re-deployment from core duties; therefore this aspect would require regular reviewing. Interim review of the current Order was scheduled for March and the final evaluation set for September this year.

Members made further comments and asked questions as detailed below:

• In order to introduce the PSPO, there ought to have been evidence of anti social behaviour in a particular area to be affected by the Order. Would not issuing any fixed notice penalties since the introduction of the PSPO hamper extending the PSPO in the future?
• Under age drinking was becoming an issue in some licenced premises in Ramsgate;
• What support was given to women who were victims to threats of violence in the premises (in tower blocks) they lived in? These residents were scared to come out of their homes. This problem was usually associated with drug culture in these areas and more was needed to be done about it.

Eden Geddes Penny button, Head of Safer Neighbourhoods, and Trevor Kennett, gave the following responses:

• The PSPO was a process of ensuring compliance to the laws and not just the issuing of fines Current evidence is  when individuals were challenged by police officers and PCSOs, they would comply. It had not been necessary to issue these penalties to date;
• Officers requested more detail to be forwarded to them so that they could pursue such reports on premises selling alcohol to under age individuals;
• Members were requested to advise residents to report criminal incidents to 999 in order for the Police to respond directly and these cases would also be forwarded to the Community Safety Unit to provide further support to victims in real time;
• The cameras in tower blocks were upgraded in 2018, regularly monitored and robust.

Members agreed to conduct another review of the impact of the PSPO in twelve months time and noted the report.