Public Spaces Protection Order confirmed for Devizes

Published 15 November 2024

Wiltshire Council has implemented a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for Devizes town centre and Green Lane.

Public Spaces Protection Orders were introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, as a tool to help councils address any nuisance or anti-social behaviour within a defined area that is detrimental to the local community's quality of life. PSPOs can be used to prohibit specified activities and/or require certain things to be done by people engaged in an activity, within a defined area.

In Devizes, the PSPO will look to address street-drinking and anti-social behaviour caused by groups of people in the town.

A consultation on the proposed order took place between July and August, with over 800 responses received and more than 90% of those responding voting in support of the PSPO being put in place.

With the order in place, the police can request anyone causing anti-social behaviour in a public place to stop drinking alcohol and require them to surrender anything believed to be an alcohol container. It will be an offence to refuse any such order and continue to consume alcohol. The PSPO does not prevent those licensed premises with outdoor seating from serving alcohol. Officers can also order groups of people demonstrating anti-social behaviour to disperse and not return to the restricted area for up to 48 hours.

Signage will be in place to remind people of the restrictions, and anyone found to be in breach of the PSPO could be issued with an on-the-spot Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) up to £100. Failure to pay a FPN could lead to prosecution and a fine on conviction up to £1,000.

Cllr Dominic Muns, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: Our thanks goes to everyone who took part in the consultation on the proposed order for Devizes. We understand how anti-social behaviour can really affect the lives of local communities and how people can feel powerless to act, and that is why safeguarding the public is a key priority in our Business Plan.

In this instance, the feedback we received from the local community, residents and businesses was overwhelmingly in favour of implementing a Public Spaces Protection Order in Devizes.

We are already seeing the PSPO in Salisbury city centre starting to have a positive impact and we hope that by putting the Devizes PSPO in place it will act as a deterrent and that our public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour.

Inspector Simon Garrett, from the Wiltshire Police, said, We very much welcome the Public Spaces Protection Order which is the result of strong partnership work between Wiltshire Police and Wiltshire Council. It will provide our officers with additional powers to deal with anti-social behaviour associated with street drinking and groups congregating together. We are aware that such incidents will naturally cause concern within the local community. Devizes Neighbourhood Policing Team will proactively police the order and respond to any concerns reported by members of the public. Any breaches of the Order will be dealt with robustly.

To find out more about the PSPO for Devizes, maps of the areas involved and what is included in the order, people can visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/community-safety-pspo-devizes

Topics:

• Communities news

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