Zero tolerance plan for street drinking crackdown

Michelle Collins and John Nock are part of a team of four Town Centre Officers helping to enforce new alcohol removal powers in Torquay

Town Centre Officers and police in Torquay issued 196 'directions to surrender alcohol' in the three months to July.

A new Public Spaces Protection Order introduced by Torbay Council in May means officers can take away alcohol being consumed by street drinkers even if there is no evidence of anti-social behaviour.

The council leader said this was part of a zero tolerance approach to try to tackle "aggressive begging... street drinking [and] people sleeping in doorways".

The enforcement action is part of a project being led by the police and crime commissioner who said she wanted to develop "a blueprint" for tackling anti-social behaviour.

Property developer Ralph Riffer asked town centre officers to remove street drinkers who were "swearing at people passing by"

A property developer who stopped the Town Centre Officers on patrol in Torquay to complain about street drinkers who were sitting on a bench and "swearing at people passing by" with children said he appreciated the efforts being made by the authorities.

"It's not just Torquay, we get the problem in Exeter and in Bournemouth" said Ralph Riffer who works in all three locations.

He said he felt frustrated for his client who was "spending half a million pounds" refurbishing a business in Torquay's Union Street and had found himself asking "what's the point?".

"It is affecting the shops," Mr Riffer added.

Town centre officers Michelle Collins and John Nock said they understood Mr Riffer's frustration.

"Now we know that's a problem we can move [the street drinkers] on from that bench," said Ms Collins.

Torbay Council leader David Thomas said the early results from the new zero tolerance approach to alcohol were "really promising"

The Conservative leader of Torbay Council, David Thomas, said a previous order meant alcohol could only be taken away if there was evidence of associated anti-social behaviour.

He said the new tougher restrictions on alcohol were part of a number of measures being introduced because the council "couldn't just let things continue" as they were.

"Our officers or the police can instruct individuals who are drinking alcohol in the town centre to desist from that... and throw the alcohol away," Mr Thomas said.

He said a second Public Spaces Protection Order had created "a dispersal zone" in Torquay.

"If people will not behave... they can be removed from the town centre outside of the area," Mr Thomas added.

'A blueprint' in the making

The office of the Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner has put £25,000 towards the cost of funding the expanded team of town centre officers in Torquay.

The town is also one of six locations across Devon and Cornwall benefitting from increased police patrols paid for with money for "hotspot policing" from the Home Office.

The Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, said she was using her "powers of convening" to get the council, the police, and housing associations to work together.

She said she hoped the Street Focus project in Torquay could be used as "a blueprint" to help other towns in Devon and Cornwall tackle problems with anti-social behaviour.

A new mobile police station is being stationed in Torquay’s Castle Circus to encourage people to report anti-social behaviour

In addition to the extra town centre officers and added police patrols, a new anti-social behaviour lawyer for Devon and Cornwall Police will be stationed in Torquay Police Station to complete Community Impact Statements.

Ms Hernandez said those statements were "vital in helping illustrate the harm caused to communities and informing sentencing decisions".

The police and crime commissioner's office has also funded a new mobile police station van which is parked in Torquay's Castle Circus on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Ms Hernandez said the mobile police station was a place where people could go to report concerns about anti-social behaviour.