Alleged offender due in court as part of anti-social behaviour crackdown

• Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) have been introduced in four areas of the county in response to complaints about anti-social behaviour (ASB)
• The most recent affects the Sinope Street Car Park in Gloucester and follows similar orders in Stroud, Cheltenham and the Forest of Dean
• Earlier in the year, local district councils signed-up to a multi-agency approach to tackling ASB called ‘Solace’, which brings together a team of Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers and council case officers, who work in partnership with the public to highlight and resolve incidents in their communities
• Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said, “Solace shows we are serious about tackling these problems, which I hope is also evident from the orders that are in place after persistent ASB”. 

The directive, in respect of the Sinope Street Car Park in the city’s Barton area, follows similar orders that are now in place in Stroud, Cheltenham and Cinderford in the Forest of Dean.

Two men have had civil injunctions placed on them following reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and another faces a charge of causing criminal damage.

A civil injunction on a third man is currently being applied for through the courts.

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are intended to prevent particular nuisances or problems from occurring or recurring, which impact on the local community, ensuring that public spaces can be enjoyed without anti-social behaviour. An anti-social behaviour case review was commissioned to discuss ongoing incidents in the Sinope Street area.

ASB Case Review Co-ordinator Di Blandford, said: “ASB is described in law as anything that causes harassment, alarm or distress and is directed at people or places. Case reviews can be requested when people are suffering persistent ASB and want a review to establish if further action can be taken.

“As well as finding a resolution, the point of a case review is to reassure the public that their complaints are taken seriously and not being ignored. In this case, a number of partners, including Gloucester City Council, Integrated Care Board, Solace, Fairshares and the police, are working together to resolve some of the issues raised.

“Much has been done so far, and we are keen to continue to work with the Barton and Tredworth community to understand how they would like the area to develop further.”

Cllr Sajid Patel, who represents Barton and Tredworth on Gloucester City Council, said, “I am pleased that the wheels are now well and truly in motion to sort out the anti-social issues once and for all, in and around the car park. I found the review meeting, which I requested, to be extremely positive and constructive.

“We are listening to the community’s concerns and are working in collaboration with the police, the council, Solace and 10 other stakeholders to stamp out the anti-social problems. I would like to take this opportunity to put on record my thanks to all the officers and partners who attended the meeting and have already been working so hard behind the scenes.”

Earlier in the year, local district councils signed-up to a multi-agency approach to tackling ASB called ‘Solace’. ‘Solace’ brings together a team of dedicated Police Officers, PCSOs and council officers, who work in partnership with communities to highlight and tackle incidents of high and medium level ASB as well as repeat incidents.

Solace’s collaborative approach has been championed by Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson, in an attempt to reduce anti-social behaviour in the county.

He said, “Research done nationally shows that more than half of people (56%) believe that more needs to be done to tackle ASB. It’s something people raise with me all the time.

“‘Solace’ shows we are serious about tackling ASB in Gloucestershire, which I hope is also evident from the public space protection orders that have been introduced in Gloucester, Stroud and the Forest of Dean”.