Proposed PSPO Zone Extended With 300+ Anti Social Incident Reports Recorded

A report going before the Executive Board on Tuesday will aim to get formal approval for the planned town centre Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), with the area covered extended.

The documents put before Councillors says: “Over the years the town has been subject to Anti-Social Behaviour which has had a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those visiting, living and working in the area. Recently issues have escalated resulting in increased community concern.

“Over the last 12 months there has been an increase in the number of reports of Anti-Social Behaviour that have been submitted to both Wrexham County Borough Council and North Wales Police.

“There were over 300 incidents reported to the police in the last 12 months, including drunkenness, drug abuse, rowdiness, fighting and behaviour that causes alarm, harassment and distress to local retail businesses and visitors to the Town Centre and Bellevue Park.”

Two Police Constables and five PCSO’s plus the Council’s Enforcement Officer have been unable to resolve these issues in a long term basis, with dispersal orders not seen as a long term solution.

After our initial article on the probable introduction of a PSPO many wondered if fining those who may not have the means to pay was a good idea. Since then it has been clarified that fines and legal action would be a last resort, with pointers to ‘full day support’ packages being preferred.

Earlier this week Cllr Hugh Jones explained: “The intention is to give powers to the police and PCSOs to tackle the problem before it gets to the point where there is a need to use the fines. The aim of the PSPO is to prevent the anti social behaviour happening, the aim is not to directly to impose fines. Fines are the last resort.”

Speaking of work with service providers such as CAIS, faith groups and various other support services Cllr Jones added: “It is a two pronged approach, to use the new legislation but also then tackle the underlying issues by working with these groups to bring in peer mentors. If we use the legislation to move people on we then have the ability to signpost people to the appropriate organisation. It is about having people in the background to support and deal with the underlying issues.”

When Wrexham Council announced their plans for the PSPO, there were concerns that the order would result in criminalising the homeless and those who would be unable to pay the fine.

Regarding how the order would be used, the report notes that ‘informal warnings maybe issued on the first occasion or officers may consider using the Community Remedy to support the offender into engaging with substance misuse services and other appropriate services rather than prosecuting them via the PSPO.

The report continues onto add that volunteer members from Champions House Recovery Hub will assist in providing ‘outreach work to those individuals, co-ordinating interventions and engagement across hot spot areas. They will assess the individual’s needs and signpost them to appropriate and relevant services’.

The Executive Board will likely not only agree to the PSPO for a three year period, but also delegate powers to the Lead Member for Place (currently Cllr Hugh Jones) to be able to ‘agree, subject to evidence and further public consultation, any future amendments to this Wrexham town PSPO’.

The report states ‘data analysis and anecdotal evidence of Anti-Social Behaviour reports and investigations in Wrexham town show that there is sufficient evidence’ to meet the required criteria before the legal process can be used to bring in a PSPO. In addition ‘extensive formal and informal consultation’ is underway including the online public survey you may have read about on here, but also social media and ‘various relevant forums including Night Safe, the Town Centre Forum, the Business Forum, Children and Young People Service’.

As of the 7th June 98 responses had been received with 85% showing ‘strong agreement with the conditions of the PSPO’, with ‘queries raised regarding dispersal’.

The area due to be covered by the PSPO has been expanded as below. An overlay was not possible due to two separate map types being used.

In the Appendix to the report going to Councillors the ‘key issues identified’ appear to ‘target’ a specific group of known people, with notes on on the data and evidence tabulated.

One expanded specific note reads: “There are no significant differences in ethnicity. Anecdotal evidence talks of Polish street drinking culture but this is not an issue that is greater than ‘age adults’ above”

Further details of the wider support being introduced is also noted: “This may have a positive impact on those living in poverty, particularly the homeless as they will have support to access services to support them”.

The issue of dispersal is recognised with a plan referred to, but not explained in the documents, “We are unsure at this stage if dispersal will be an issue. We have put plans in place to support dispersal if it is an issue. However we will review the PSPO on an ongoing basis.”

The report will go before Wrexham Council’s Executive Board at 10am on Tuesday 21st June. For those who can’t attend the meeting it will be webcast live on the Wrexham Council website.