In this week's letter to readers, Liz Terry, the leader of Reading Borough Council, welcomes the rollout of new powers that have been given to police and council enforcers to crackdown on anti-social behaviour. Councillor Terry writes:
This week we have begun a clampdown on anti-social behaviours that you told us you want action on in Reading.
A new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), introduced in partnership between the council and Thames Valley Police, gives new powers to tackle the specific anti-social behaviours that our public consultation last summer told us you want to see tackled.
The Order has five conditions to it, three of which will be overseen by Thames Valley Police. They will be dealing with:
- On-street begging – to stop begging in public places in a manner that is aggressive, intimidating, or causes harassment, alarm or distress
- Alcohol-related anti-social behaviour – people must stop drinking and hand over any containers (sealed or unsealed) of alcohol when asked to prevent nuisance or disorder
- Anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes – tackling use of electric scooters or any type of electric bike in an anti-social manner which is reckless, malicious or dangerous, or causes significant harassment, alarm or distress to any person
The Council will be enforcing the other two conditions of the order:
- Dog fouling – it is an offence to not pick up after your dog. Being unaware of the defecation or not having an appropriate means to remove it will not be deemed an excuse for failing to remove it.
- Dog control – anyone in charge of a dog must put and hold their dog on a lead if asked to do so by a Council officer
This is about encouraging and insisting on behaviour change where people are acting to the detriment of other residents. It is intended to be a preventative measure, allowing enforcing officers the ability to request the behaviour be stopped before a breach occurs. However, if those spoken to continue to breach that order, they can be issued with a £100 fixed penalty notice, as an alternative to prosecution which carries a maximum fine of £1,000.
It is important to recognise that we do have vulnerable people in Reading who might engage in street drinking or begging, and officers will take a particularly measured and proportionate approach to enforcement with them, including signposting to relevant support services which are available.
This is a really positive step for residents – we have heard your concerns about anti-social behaviour and the PSPO will help make Reading a more enjoyable place for everyone.
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