Residents of Sheffield are awaiting the result of their votes regarding legislation that could lead to an increase in police and council power to control anti-social behaviour.
The plans were suggested by Sheffield City Council as 97 out of 100 businesses surveyed in the city centre said they had encountered anti-social behaviour in the past year.
Under the Public Spaces Protection Order(PSPO), residents would be punished for anti-social behaviour such as drinking alcohol in public, the use of drugs and loitering, with some arguing the latter could affect the homeless.
In support for a PSPO, Liz Turton, Woodhouse and District Community Hub Co-Ordinator said: “I feel frightened for children and if they are anxious to go out, they then might encounter a problem that’s not of their own making.”
71 businesses also claimed that they felt anti-social behaviour had increased within the past year, with Division Street, Fargate and The Moor being the main areas that saw large amounts of this type of behaviour.
Offenders could be on the receiving end of a £100 fine but failure to pay this could lead to a £1000 fine or trial date in a magistrate’s court.
Mrs Turton also said: “if you are more vulnerable, you are going to be worrying.”
“People will want to see the order working before they go out and it needs to be seen to be working as it is not an overnight fix.”
Currently, the police and Sheffield City Council can only take action on this type of behaviour if it is considered a criminal offence.
A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council said: “The introduction of a PSPO alongside an enforcement framework that focuses on harm reduction could have positive outcomes for some of the City’s most vulnerable residents.”
The deadline for this vote was the 25th of March
Other councils have adopted this approach in certain areas of their city such as Nottingham City Council.
Sheffield City Council accepted the recommendations of a PSPO at the Communities, Parks and Leisure Policy Committee on the 29th January 2024.
PSPOs were introduced in the Anti-social, Crime and Policing act 2014.
