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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plans were suggested by Sheffield City Council as 97 out of 100<\/a> businesses surveyed in the city centre said they had encountered anti-social behaviour in the past year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the Public Spaces Protection Order(PSPO), residents would be punished for anti-social behaviour such as drinking alcohol in public,<\/a> the use of drugs and loitering, with some arguing the latter could affect the homeless<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In support for a PSPO, Liz Turton, Woodhouse and District Community Hub Co-Ordinator said: \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 71 businesses also claimed that they felt anti-social behaviour had increased within the past year, with Division Street, Fargate and The Moor<\/a> being the main areas that saw large amounts of this type of behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Offenders could be on the receiving end of a \u00a3100 fine but failure to pay this could lead to a \u00a31000 fine or trial date in a magistrate\u2019s court<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mrs Turton also said: \u201cif you are more vulnerable, you are going to be worrying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Currently, the police and Sheffield City Council can only take action on this type of behaviour if it is considered a criminal offence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n