The Police in Atherstone have been given new powers to tackle drink and drug-fuelled anti-social behaviour, after an increase in incidents in the town.
The work is supported by the North Warwickshire Community Safety Partnership in helping to make North Warwickshire a safer place to live.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), introduced in 2014, sit amongst a broad range of powers and tools to help tackle anti-social behaviour locally. PSPOs are aimed at ensuring public spaces can be enjoyed free from anti-social behaviour. They are not about stopping the responsible use of the night-time economy however they do provide councils with another instrument to help deal with persistent issues that are damaging their communities.
North Warwickshire Borough Council approved a three-year Public Space Protection Order in Atherstone that gives both police and authorised council officers extra powers to quickly deal with people behaving anti-socially.
The PSPO makes it a criminal offence to refuse to surrender alcohol or intoxicating substances such as nitrous oxide, or to refuse an instruction to leave the designated area for a set period. Offenders could face arrest or a fine of up to £1000. The move has been welcomed by businesses in the town centre after complaints about adults drinking in various locations and causing ASB.
Signage went up over the weekend of the 26-27 April 2025 and the public response so far has been positive.
"It's come as a request from the police. It's about reassuring the public and confirming ASB will not be tolerated in the town ," said Councillor Ray Jarvis, Chair of the North Warwickshire Community Safety Partnership
PCSO Gavin Scott said ‘It is pleasing to see that this new order will enable our policing teams to direct people to leave if they are causing anti-social behaviour which is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the community’.