Pilot success reduces need for Public Space Protection Order

A six-month initiative designed to reduce anti-social behaviour has been extended for another year after its success and backing from partners.

South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership – which covers Teignbridge, South Hams and West Devon – agreed to adopt a common, coordinated approach to issuing Community Protection Warnings (CPWs) to tackle anti-social behaviour more quickly, prevent escalation and avoid the more complicated process of issuing formal orders.

Not only has this change in approach had a significant impact on tackling anti-social behaviour, it has also increased knowledge sharing on how to combat cross-district problems and strengthened collaborative working between providers to take quick action to address behaviours that impact negatively on local communities. 

Community Protection Warnings covering a range of problems have been issued in partnership with the police, trading standards, Teign Housing, Livewest, Sanctuary, Westward Housing, Sovereign, RSPCA as well as with social care and mental health providers.

And as a result of the pilot’s success, the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering parts of Teignmouth and designed to reduce anti-social behaviour caused by outdoor alcohol consumption will not be renewed when it expires at the end of this month.

Executive Member Cllr Linda Goodman Bradbury, said:  “The effectiveness of CPWs in changing people’s behaviour during the pilot means that staff time is better focused on continuing the cooperative approach rather than extending or changing the PSPO, under which there have only been eight warnings issued over the past three years and no fines.”

In contrast, the almost 100 CPWs issued during the pilot had a 90+% success rate with no further action being needed in the vast majority of cases and the impact in communities or on individuals significantly reduced.

Examples of where CPWs have worked include:

• A young male was stopped from carrying children in his car without parental consent after a trip to Exeter where one of the children collected drugs.
• A middle-aged man is now working with a treatment provider to combat his substance abuse which caused harassment and nuisance to neighbours. As well as stopping the negative impact on himself and others, the CPW required him to engage with the drug and alcohol service, something he had refused to do over several years.
• There was significant impact on a number of houses in a community due to the behaviour of a female. A CPW was served alongside a housing Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction. The neighbours then started to perpetrate behaviour towards the female who had been issued the notice. The CPWs have addressed this new behaviour and there have been no further complaints about any of them individuals since issuing at the start of October. 
• Cannabis smells coming from a property led to neighbourhood concern and school reports suggesting young people were attending and taking drugs. No further complaints have been raised following the issue of a CPW and safeguarding measures taken to protect the school children.
• Significant dog fouling in one residential area was affecting neighbours and following an RSPCA visit a CPW was issued to a dog owner, alongside an abatement notice and no further issues have been reported
• Rubbish was not removed when a commercial property became vacant resulting in rats causing a problem to the local community. A commercial waste provider only responded and cleared the mess when a CPW was issued to the regional manager and head office.
• Following discussion at a multi-agency risk assessment conference a CPW was issued in partnership with the Domestic Abuse Unit and housing provider to prevent contact between a perpetrator and victim.Pilot success reduces need for