New powers to tackle anti-social behaviour in Thame

POLICE in Thame will have new powers to tackle group related anti-social behaviour from Tuesday, May 1, subject to a final nod from South Oxfordshire District Council’s Scrutiny committee.

Image courtesy of spiked-online.com

The new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) will allow police to prohibit groups of three or more from congregating in public areas of the town, if they are behaving anti-socially, or likely to cause alarm, distress or a nuisance to those nearby. Anyone causing a problem could be fined if they fail to disperse when requested.

South Oxfordshire District Council is introducing the PSPO in Thame following concerns raised by the local community. The Order received strong support during a public consultation last year and was approved by Cabinet on Thursday, April 5. It will only target anti-social behaviour and will not prevent groups from gathering together peacefully.

Cllr Elizabeth Gillespie, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The new Public Spaces Protection Order gives police in Thame greater powers to address anti-social behaviour caused by groups congregating in public areas. This could include those intimidating passers-by or anyone repeatedly causing a general nuisance.

“PSPOs can be tailored to the needs of a specific town. The measures we have included to tackle group related problems in Thame received significant support from the local community.”

The public consultation

Last year members of the public were asked to comment on the proposal to create a Public Spaces Protection Order for Thame. South Oxfordshire District Council received 241 responses during the four-week consultation, with 92 per cent in favour of giving police powers to tackle anti-social behaviour. 92 per cent also supported setting the age range for the new powers to start from those aged 16 plus rather than from 18.

The Thame PSPO also includes powers that were previously covered by the town’s Designated Public Places Order (DPPO) which allows police to tackle alcohol related anti-social behaviour. Police can take alcohol off anyone who is behaving anti-socially in a public area – if they refuse to hand the alcohol over they can be fined. The Order only applies to public areas and not to licensed premises, and people drinking responsibly will not be affected.