Dartford Borough Council launches new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle street drinking and anti-social behaviour.
The new Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to combat street drinking and anti-social behaviour in Dartford Town Centre has come into force.
The PSPO covers the town centre’s streets, car parks, parks, recreation grounds and children’s play areas, and will be used to stop a range of behaviours that most town centre visitors would consider to be unacceptable.
Anyone breaching the PSPO could receive a fixed penalty notice of £100, or prosecution through the Magistrates’ Court which can result in a fine of up to £1000. The PSPO will be enforced by Kent Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, and authorised Local Authority Officers, such as Park Rangers.
Jeremy Kite, Leader of Dartford Borough Council said, “Dartford Town Centre remains a very safe place to live, work and visit, and we want to keep it that way. The PSPO has been brought in to give us some additional powers to tackle behaviours that are inconsiderate and offensive to decent people who simply want to enjoy our town’.
The Dartford Town Centre PSPO enforces a number of restrictions including using motor vehicles to cause a nuisance at night, inconsiderate consumption of alcohol and other intoxicating substances, littering, urinating or defecating in public places and swearing, shouting or acting in a threatening manner or in a way that causes alarm, harassment or distress. It also permits enforcing Officers to require the surrender of open alcohol containers and any items that may assist in the taking of intoxicating substances (e.g. Nitrous Oxide).
Full details of the PSPO, together with a map outlining the affected areas can be found on the Council’s website at www.dartford.gov.uk/getinvolved