Labour Westminster Council is seeking views from the public on new measures to tackle nuisance vehicles, pedicabs and on-street anti-social behaviour.
Fines of up to £1,000 could be handed down to people who flout new regulations to keep the public safe.
Have your say here: https://onstreetasbpspo.commonplace.is Respond by Sunday 6 July.
Westminster Council has launched a public consultation on proposed new Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) as part of its ongoing efforts to crack down on antisocial behaviour and create safer, cleaner, and more welcoming communities.
Public Spaces Protection Orders are intended to deal with persistent anti-social behaviour that is detrimental to the community’s quality of life. They do so by imposing conditions on the use of that area to ensure everyone can enjoy public spaces.
The proposed PSPOs would give the Police and Council officers additional powers to tackle persistent issues such as public urination, verbal abuse, drug use and other forms of anti-social behaviour that affect residents, businesses, and visitors alike. Breach of a PSPO is a criminal offence , and officers will be able to issue fixed penalty notices to immediately respond to this anti-social behaviour.
The Council is seeking views from residents on proposals to:
- Introduce a new PSPO to tackle On-Street ASB in South Westminster, building on the work of the new Street-Based Intervention team.
- Engage residents and those who visit or work in the rest of Westminster to gather their views on whether this approach is the right one to be deployed in a wider ASB PSPO covering the rest of Westminster.
- Extend the existing nuisance vehicle PSPO to cover Soho and Mayfair.
- Introduce a new city-wide PSPO to tackle the nuisance caused by pedicabs
This is the latest move by the Council in a wider package of initiatives introduced to clamp down on antisocial behaviour. Recent actions include:
- a £500k investment in new CCTV to double the number of cameras to 200, which includes 40 additional cameras for the West End.
- the launch of a new Street-Based Intervention Team, combining City Inspectors and Homeless Outreach officers.
- the recruitment of more City Inspectors to keep the city’s streets clean and safe – both boosting deployment in existing teams and creating a new 8-member specialist ASB team.
Councillor Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster City Council, said:
“Everyone has the right to feel safe and respected where they live. This is why this administration has invested in more City Inspectors and the new 200-camera CCTV system to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in partnership with the police. This investment has given us extra capacity to make more effective use of the additional powers available through these new PSPOs, enabling our city inspectors and police to tackle unacceptable behaviour swiftly and effectively.
Councillor Aicha Less, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said:
“We want to hear from our residents about what they think. This consultation gives local people an important say in shaping how we respond to ASB and make our streets safer for everyone.”
The Council is urging residents, businesses, and community organisations to take part in the consultation.
To have your say and learn more about the proposed PSPO’s, visit:
Background
The Council is consulting on new powers including:
FIXED PENALTIES
A person who is guilty of an offence under this Order shall be liable to a £100.00 Fixed Penalty Notice under s.68.
CRIMINAL CONVICTION
A person who is charged with the offence of failing to comply with this Order is liable upon summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 (currently £1000) on the standard scale.
DISPERSAL
Two of the proposed Orders contain a Dispersal Order related to “Remaining in the Restricted Area after having been asked to leave by an Authorised Officer” and a requirement to “leave the Restricted Area if asked to do so by an Authorised Officer and must not return to the Restricted Area for 24 hours”. ‘Authorised Officer’ in this context is an employee or agent of the Authority who is authorised for the purpose of giving directions under this Order, a Police Officer or any other person designated by the council (such as a City Inspector).