These powers make it possible for Local Authorities to deal with a particular nuisance or problem which is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life by imposing conditions on the use of that area which apply to everyone. They are designed to ensure the law-abiding majority can use and enjoy public spaces, safe from anti-social behaviour (ASB) or nuisance.
In April 2017, a PSPO was granted to tackle alcohol related Anti-Social Behaviour. The PSPO was valid for 3 years and ended in April 2020. The PSPO gave the police powers to stop people from drinking, and to surrender alcohol if they were causing, or likely to cause, Anti-Social Behaviour. In addition to the city-wide prohibitions, an outright ban on street drinking was granted in St Peter's and Park wards, including the city centre. The previous PSPO was successful in reducing alcohol relating incidents from 1202 in 2017 to 2018, to 781 in 2019 to 2020.
On 27th May 2020, a public consultation started on proposals to implement a new PSPO with the same terms and conditions as the previous order. The consultation ended on 29th June 2020, where the vast majority of respondents were in favour of the PSPO.
The public consultation results were presented to Scrutiny Panel and Cabinet. On 29th July 2020, approval was granted for the PSPO to start on 9th September 2020.
If you have any questions, please contact Wolverhampton Safety Partnership on safer@wolverhampton.gov.uk or 01902 551214.
