NEW powers to help the city council keep Leicester’s public spaces free from anti-social behaviour are already having a positive impact on the city centre.
Since the beginning of April, a team of city wardens and community safety officers has been patrolling the city centre to raise awareness of the new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) – a suite of new powers that allows the council to take swift enforcement action against those causing a nuisance.
Easy to spot in their branded uniforms, the authorised officers have spoken to hundreds of people in a month-long period of engagement and education, with their high-profile presence already helping to address nuisance behaviour in the city centre.
In the past month, the team has issued more than 100 verbal warnings relating to begging in the city centre. Officers also dealt with 49 unauthorised charity collections, 220 bike and scooter offences, 73 incidents of problem street drinking, 79 incidents of unauthorised amplification and 82 unpermitted structures, such as gazebos.
Everyone spoken to has been warned that from Thursday (1 May), anyone breaching the PSPO risks facing a fixed penalty notice of £100, rising to £1,000 if prosecution leads to a conviction.
People found begging in the city centre have been signposted to services offering food and shelter, while those riding scooters and e-bikes have been given leaflets, advising them that illegal machines will be confiscated by the police as part of their ongoing Op Pedalfast campaign.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Every day for the past four weeks, our city wardens and community safety officers have been out on the streets, making sure that everyone using the city centre knows that nuisance behaviour will not be tolerated in Leicester.
“And the good news is, the message seems to be getting through.
“People are coming up to our officers to tell them that their presence is making a difference, and that problems associated with street drinking or begging, or the irresponsible use of e-bikes and scooters, appear to be receding. That sentiment is also reflected in the feedback I’ve received, and we’ve certainly noticed fewer complaints about the city centre.
“From 1 May, we’ll be reinforcing that message by introducing enforcement.
“Anyone breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order from Thursday will be committing a criminal offence and risks facing a £100 fine.
“I hope that we don’t need to issue any fixed penalty notices on Thursday. My hope is that the risk of a fine is enough to rid Leicester of the sort of anti-social behaviour that’s been spoiling people’s enjoyment of our historic city centre for too long.”
Introduced on 2 April, the PSPO covers the city centre within the inner ring road, together with the area around Leicester railway station, the entirety of New Walk, and the area between London Road and Regent Road as far as Granville Road.
Within the area covered by the PSPO, an individual is in breach of the order - and committing a criminal offence - if they cause a nuisance by:
- begging
- collecting for charity without the council’s permission
- using an e-bike, bike, skateboard or scooter irresponsibly
- consuming alcohol when asked to stop by an authorised officer
- using amplification equipment without authorisation
- putting up a gazebo or other temporary structure without authorisation
The full order can be seen at leicester.gov.uk/pspo
Public Spaces Protection Orders were introduced by the government as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014 and can be used by councils to target a range of issues in a defined public area.
Once adopted, each PSPO is valid for three years.