Anti-social behaviour curbs could go borough wide

The entire borough could be subject to a new legal order which will give the council and police greater powers to curb anti-social behaviour in public places.

A borough wide Public Space Protection Order, PSPO, will prohibit street drinking and refusing to surrender the alcohol, if requested. 

The order will give Thames Valley Police officers the discretion to issue on-the-spot fines of up to £100 or take rule-breakers to court where fines of up to £1,000 could be handed out for repeated or serious breaches. 

An order has been in place in nine areas of the borough since October 2017 to combat anti-social behaviour. 

An eight-week consultation is live from today, Friday 13 May, for the proposal to expand and come into force across the whole borough.

The proposed order will prohibit the following activities:

  • continuing to drink alcohol or consume intoxicating substances when required to stop doing so by a police officer or police community support officer
  • not surrendering any alcohol or intoxicating substances in his or her possession when required to do so by a police officer or police community support officer.

Once the consultation period is over the council will look at feedback and take it into consideration for the final proposal of the order.

Approval will then be sought from cabinet after the consultation ends.

The council has been working closely with Thames Valley Police who will be the main authority to enforce the order.

Councillor Beni Bains, lead member for regulation and public protection, said: “The order has made it easier to target anti-social behaviour in the locations where it is currently in place. 

“However, expanding it to cover the whole borough makes it easier to enforce and for people to understand.

“It will be part of a toolkit to tackle lower level behaviour which has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of residents.” 

The council intends for the proposed order to last for three years from the date it is made.

Residents who want to participate in the consultation are encouraged to have a look at the online documents at https://www.slough.gov.uk/consultations

Views can be submitted by:

  • emailing reportASB@slough.gov.uk with the subject ‘Borough wide PSPO consultation’.
  • writing to “Borough wide PSPO consultation”, Place and Regulation, Observatory House, Windsor Road, Slough, SL1 2EL.

The consultation ends on Friday 8 July. 

Published: 13 May 2022