New powers from councils to protect residents
South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council have each agreed a Public Spaces Protection Order to tackle vehicle related anti-social behaviour, following a formal consultation.
While the districts are among the safest places to live in the country, some residents have been regularly disturbed in the evenings and late into the night due to vehicle related anti-social behaviour.
There have also been reports from retail parks and business outlets of drivers using their vehicles to intimidate other car park users and damage property. Both Councils have been working with the Police to identify the best way to use their powers to reduce the impacts of this anti-social behaviour.
The Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) sets the standard of behaviour required in a specified locality and provides Police and council enforcement officers with the opportunity to engage early when they believe behaviours may fall below that standard.
Before making a PSPO, the Councils considered the views of its statutory partners including the wider community – it is, after all, the community that is most impacted by any poor behaviour.
Each council’s PSPO, which covers their entire district, will operate 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It stipulates that people using vehicles are prohibited from causing harassment, alarm, distress, or have a detrimental impact on residents or surroundings.
Unnecessarily sounding horns, playing excessively loud music, racing and performing stunts (doughnuts, skidding and handbrake turns for instance) are examples of vehicle anti-social behaviour included in the PSPO, which cause nuisance to people in the locality.
Nick Howard, Assistant Director - Regulatory, for South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council said:
“We take the safety of our residents very seriously and while our districts are among the safest in the country, these extra powers ensure we are in a better position to keep them that way. This new PSPO emphasises how we will not tolerate anti-social behaviour and how we will always work closely with Police to stamp it out.”
Inspector Racheal Shearing of Norfolk Constabulary’s Operational Partnership Team, said:
“We understand that the vast majority of vehicle enthusiasts do not want to disturb local communities or make them feel unsafe. This PSPO will help us and Council Partners to robustly tackle those who do choose to spoil these events with intimidating and anti-social behaviour.”
A review of each PSPO will take place after 12 months, to look at whether the intervention has reduced the impact and whether the PSPO is still required.