News: Council continues to receive complaints despite drop in Anti-Social Behaviour
Incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) in Rotherham town centre have been declining but the Council and partners continue to receive complaints from business, Councillors and visitors alike.
The authority is seeking to continue two Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO), one in the town centre and a borough wide order specifically dealing with dog fouling.
The order was introduced in September 2017 in the town centre and Clifton Park after the Council said that it continued to receive complaints about a minority of people who behave in an unacceptable way.
Orders relating to anti-social behaviour and dog fouling are due to expire, however a new order can be made following public consultation.
Police figures show that ASB incidents have been on a downward trend since the order was brought in, although methods of collecting the data have changed.
There were 539 incidents of ASB in the year after implementation of the PSPO, averaging 45 incidents per month. This is compared to the 668 ASB incidents reported prior to PSPO implementation, averaging at 56 incidents.
Since July 2019, there have been 342 ASB incidents in the Town Centre PSPO area.
Incidents in the town centre between May 2019 and April 2020 have decreased by 17% compared to the previous 12-months. The only notable increase is in April 2020, which the police said is likely due to the impact of COVID-19 and the "stay home" policy implemented.
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A report to the council's cabinet said: "The Council and partners continue to receive complaints relating to the town centre from business, Councillors and visitors alike. In addition, the town centre is a priority for crime reduction across the partnership. Moreover, the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce have raised concerns around activities in the town centre that affect business and the attractiveness of the town to visitors.
"The town centre is a mixed area, including residential, with regeneration and development projects planned and completed, together with the implementation for the town centre masterplan already underway. A key part of the masterplan implementation is additional residential developments in and around the town centre. It is important that the Council and partners support residents and improvements through robust measures to tackle anti-social behaviour."
A public consultation on both PSPOs is set to focus on the existing conditions and the behaviours that have been identified within the proposed order.
Cllr. Emma Hoddinott, cabinet member for waste, roads and community safety, said: "These orders are put in place to ensure that people feel safe in the town centre and our neighbourhoods are kept free of dog fouling. Without this Public Space Protection Order, it makes it harder for the police and council officers to take action.
"We want to hear people's views about the problems we are trying to address with this order and whether the extra powers will help tackle them. While incidents of anti-social behaviour in the town centre and complaints of dog fouling across the borough have been declining since 2016, they are still some of the most common causes for complaint and we know that these remain relevant issues for people."
In the past three years, 168 fines for breaches of the Town Centre Public Spaces Protection Order have been issued and a further 39 fines have been issued to individuals who have allowed their dogs to foul on land open to the public.
Following the consultation period, the findings will be submitted to Cabinet in September where a final decision will be made.
Images: Google Maps
The authority is seeking to continue two Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO), one in the town centre and a borough wide order specifically dealing with dog fouling.
The order was introduced in September 2017 in the town centre and Clifton Park after the Council said that it continued to receive complaints about a minority of people who behave in an unacceptable way.
Orders relating to anti-social behaviour and dog fouling are due to expire, however a new order can be made following public consultation.
Police figures show that ASB incidents have been on a downward trend since the order was brought in, although methods of collecting the data have changed.
There were 539 incidents of ASB in the year after implementation of the PSPO, averaging 45 incidents per month. This is compared to the 668 ASB incidents reported prior to PSPO implementation, averaging at 56 incidents.
Since July 2019, there have been 342 ASB incidents in the Town Centre PSPO area.
Incidents in the town centre between May 2019 and April 2020 have decreased by 17% compared to the previous 12-months. The only notable increase is in April 2020, which the police said is likely due to the impact of COVID-19 and the "stay home" policy implemented.
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A report to the council's cabinet said: "The Council and partners continue to receive complaints relating to the town centre from business, Councillors and visitors alike. In addition, the town centre is a priority for crime reduction across the partnership. Moreover, the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce have raised concerns around activities in the town centre that affect business and the attractiveness of the town to visitors.
"The town centre is a mixed area, including residential, with regeneration and development projects planned and completed, together with the implementation for the town centre masterplan already underway. A key part of the masterplan implementation is additional residential developments in and around the town centre. It is important that the Council and partners support residents and improvements through robust measures to tackle anti-social behaviour."
A public consultation on both PSPOs is set to focus on the existing conditions and the behaviours that have been identified within the proposed order.
Cllr. Emma Hoddinott, cabinet member for waste, roads and community safety, said: "These orders are put in place to ensure that people feel safe in the town centre and our neighbourhoods are kept free of dog fouling. Without this Public Space Protection Order, it makes it harder for the police and council officers to take action.
"We want to hear people's views about the problems we are trying to address with this order and whether the extra powers will help tackle them. While incidents of anti-social behaviour in the town centre and complaints of dog fouling across the borough have been declining since 2016, they are still some of the most common causes for complaint and we know that these remain relevant issues for people."
In the past three years, 168 fines for breaches of the Town Centre Public Spaces Protection Order have been issued and a further 39 fines have been issued to individuals who have allowed their dogs to foul on land open to the public.
Following the consultation period, the findings will be submitted to Cabinet in September where a final decision will be made.
Images: Google Maps
3 comments:
Been declining, because police and council, wear blinkers. The town is full of scum, both homegrown and imported. Its a cesspit of humanity.
The string theory and how H Samuel are stll open in Rotherham still puzzle me.
Completely agree with Mr mr. It's an absolute joke. Drinkers slugging cans of cheap booze from 9am, discarded needles and gas canisters littering the streets... but at least RMBC have the powers to control dog muck.
We need zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour. The scum of this earth that plague the town society need to be made to feel unwelcome rather than allowing them to treat the streets like a tap room.
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