The council has agreed to grant a Metropolitan Police request to issue a public spaces protection order (PSPO) covering this part of Battersea and the surrounding area. The order gives the police additional special powers to tackle local problems.
The order, which has been introduced following complaints from local residents and businesses prohibits people from the following activities:
- Consuming alcohol in a public place
- Failing to surrender alcohol or a container for alcohol
- Using abusive, offensive, aggressive, threatening or intimidating language or behaving in an aggressive, threatening or intimidating manner.
- Defecating and/or urinating other than in an appropriate facility
- Leaving or depositing any litter
The order covers this part of Battersea
People who breach the order face arrest and could be prosecuted in a magistrates court or handed a £100 fixed penalty notice. The order will remain in place until July 2021.
The council’s spokesman on crime reduction Cllr Guy Senior said: “Unfortunately residents and businesses in this part of Battersea have had to endure some fairly unpleasant behaviour in recent months which is why we are taking this joint action with the police.
“It will give their officers the powers to deal with issues that may not in themselves be crimes, but which do cause problems for others living or working nearby and which are creating specific concerns about poor behaviour in this neighbourhood.
“There are local services available for people with addiction problems and using these powers to deter them from drinking in the street and causing problems for others may hopefully lead to some of them seeking help.”
The order has been made using powers contained within Section 59 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
