Council launch public safety order as residents “concerned” about antisocial behaviour
A council has launched a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) after residents said they were “concerned” about antisocial behaviour in their neighborhood.
Thornton Heath and its surrounding area will be the second place in Croydon to get a PSPO to help tackle antisocial behaviour this year – the first was brought into Croydon Town Centre in May.
In a public consultation held earlier this year, 78 per cent of respondents said they were in favour of the Thornton Heath PSPO.
A spokesman for the council said that during the consultation many residents also “encouraged” the council to increase the boundary to include Thornton Heath Pond and all of Grangewood Park.
The PSPO will give the police additional powers to issue on-the-spot fines to anyone caught engaging in antisocial behaviours like public drinking in the defined area.
The council has warned that enforcement could also include prosecution, which could result in a criminal conviction and a fine.
The Safer Croydon Partnership, which is made up of council, police, fire, probation and health agencies, will be monitoring the order, which is set to run for the next three years, and will be reviewing it regularly, the spokesman added.
A spokesman for the council also said it will be reviewing the order to ensure that there are no adverse effects on the borough’s most vulnerable residents and emergence of hotspot areas.
Jason Perry, executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “This is a good thing for the Thornton Heath community.
“The PSPO will help us and the police to address various issues that have affected how people feel in the area, and help make Thornton Heath a safer and more inviting place for everyone.”
Pictured top: Thornton Heath (Picture: Google Street View)
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Useless waste of time. So I could get fined for peacefully drinking a Strongbow in the street, not drunk…whilst the illegal pavement parking in Whitehorse Lane remains rife every day….when was the last time you saw a parking CEO in Whitehorse Lane, TH High St or Brigstock?