Gating Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) - Hillside, Little Harrowden, Wellingborough

A PSPO is a legal Order introduced by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle anti-social behaviour in a flexible and responsive way by a local authority.

When a PSPO is in place it prohibits specific activity within a defined area and is intended to deal with specific problems that are detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, such as anti-social behaviour.

A PSPO enables the Council and Police to issue fines and other sanctions against individuals breaching the conditions of the Order when it is proportionate and appropriate.

A breach of a PSPO is a criminal offence.

The PSPO will be in force all hours of the day, every day

The PSPO would include the following prohibitions:

Prohibitions

A) Consumption of alcohol on street

Any person within the Prohibition Area is prohibited from, at any time, consuming alcohol or having an open alcohol container after having been requested by an Authorised Officer to cease consumption or hand over the container, unless subject to exemptions listed.

B) Use of Intoxicating Substances

Intoxicating substances’ means substances with the capacity to stimulate or depress the central nervous system (i.e. illegal drugs or psychoactive substances (the latter being commonly referred to as ‘legal highs’)

Exemptions will apply in cases where the substances are used for a valid and demonstrable medicinal use (human and animal), including prescription medication, are cigarettes (tobacco) or vaporisers or are food stuffs regulated by food and/or health and safety legislation.

1. Persons within the Restricted Area will not ingest, inhale, inject, smoke, process or otherwise use intoxicating substances.
2. Persons within the Restricted Area will not have in their possession any open containers of intoxicating substances.
3. Persons within the Restricted Area will not have any item that can be used to assist in the taking of intoxicating substances. This includes any device for smoking substances other than e-cigarettes and needles (save for those packaged and sealed by the manufacturer and stored in a hard case).
4. Persons within the Restricted Area will not sell or supply intoxicating substances

C) Not to engage in any form of sexual activity in a public area within the area of the PSPO

Any person is prohibited from engaging in sexual activity in a public area within the Prohibition Area. 

No person shall buy or attempt to buy sexual services from another person in the public spaces identified as part of this Order. 

D) Not to use the public space as a toilet 

Any person is prohibited from urinating or defecating other than in a facility specifically designed and intended for such use.

E) Not to deposit any litter or unlawfully deposit any waste/ fly tip within the confines of the PSPO.

Any person is prohibited from depositing litter or unlawfully depositing any waste other than in a facility specifically designed and intended for such use.

This Order imposes the following positive requirements:

Persons within the Restricted Area will, on the request of an authorised officer(s):

1. surrender any open containers of intoxicating substances in their possession.
2. surrender to the authorised officer(s) any item used to assist in the taking of intoxicating substances and comply immediately with the authorised officer(s) reasonable request to secure safe disposal of any needles in their possession not sealed and stored;
3. cease consuming alcohol (or anything which the authorised officer(s) reasonably believes to be alcohol) and surrender to the authorised officer(s), any open containers of alcohol in their possession.