Public spaces protection orders (PSPOs)

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) were brought in under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which came into force on 20 October 2014, giving local authorities and the police more effective powers to deal with anti-social behaviour.

PSPOs can be used to regulate activities in particular public places that can have a detrimental effect on the local community, including street drinking, going to the toilet in public, and spitting.

The PSPOs allow officers from Slough Borough Council and Thames Valley Police to issue on-the-spot fines of up to £100 or take offenders to court to face a heavier sentence.

A conviction for breaching a PSPO could carry a fine of up to £1,000.

The council can make a PSPO if it believes the activities are detrimental to the local community’s life and that the negative impact is so much to make the restrictions reasonable.

PSPOs combine and expand on the powers of previous anti-social behaviour orders, such as Designated Public Place Orders (more commonly known as ‘no drinking’ zones) and gating orders.