Published on Tuesday 07 July 2020
A harmonised approach to address street-based anti-social behaviour is proposed for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole to improve community safety.
To introduce a consistent approach across all three towns, the council must consult on the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that is currently in place for Poole Town Centre and Holes Bay area and the recommendation to amend this order.
Following the successful approach of support and enforcement to tackle issues in Bournemouth and Boscombe town centres through a Community Safety Accredited Scheme (CSAS) working in partnership with the rough sleeper outreach team, community safety officers are to be introduced to Poole town centre later this month.
Councillor Lewis Allison, Cabinet Member for Tourism, Leisure and Communities, said: "Ensuring that people visiting, living and working in the town centres feel safe and that street based anti-social behaviour is addressed robustly is a priority for the Council. The previous councils had different approaches to tackling anti-social behaviour, and through the introduction of a CSAS team in Poole we aim to have a consistent approach.
"We’ve seen from the operation of CSAS in Bournemouth town centre that this approach is effective at addressing harmful behaviours of a few individuals through the combination of support and enforcement. We want to ensure vulnerable people on the street are accessing the support they need and only if an individual is persistently causing anti-social behaviour will enforcement be used."
Following consultation, a full report on the findings and outcomes will be presented to the council’s Cabinet, who will make a decision on whether to implement the changes.