Plans approved for police to confiscate alcohol

The local authority said it was not an outright ban on street drinking, but would be targeted at anti-social behaviour

A new public space protection order (PSPO) has been approved which would give police additional powers to confiscate alcohol to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Norwich City Council approved the order following a public consultation which will cover the entire city district for three years.

It hopes to tackle issues caused by drinking alcohol in public spaces.

Beth Jones, Labour councillor, said: "Our goal is to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors by reducing incidents of ASB linked to public drinking."

'Consistent approach'

The consultation which ended in May, looked into what changes could be made to the 2021 PSPO to reduce disorderly conduct and public drunkenness.

The new PSPO will give officers additional powers to ask individuals to stop drinking alcohol in public and confiscate drink if their behaviour is or is likely to cause anti-social behaviour.

The order can be used by a council and partner agencies to deal with public space issues under the Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Within the order, the council will also be able to issue fixed penalty notices for any breaches.

Ms Jones hopes the order will ensure a "consistent approach" across Norwich and prevent behaviour "relocating to different areas".

She said: "It's important to emphasise that the PSPO does not ban the consumption of alcohol in public spaces but specially targets behaviour that is anti-social or a nuisance."