Measures introduced to continue improving community safety in Gateshead town centre
A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is in place in Gateshead town centre to tackle street drinking and anti-social behaviour. Enforcement of this order by Northumbria Police aims to make the town centre safer and more welcoming for everyone as part of the UK Government's Safer Streets work.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) aim to deal with problems in a particular area. The PSPO puts in place restrictions, which apply to everyone, on the safe use of that area so that people can enjoy our public spaces.
The restrictions of the town centre PSPO include:
- being in possession of an open container of, or consuming alcohol in the town centre outside of licensed premises
- behaving in a manner, either as an individual or within a group of people, which is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
In addition to PSPO enforcement, the council has recently recruited a Town Centre Ambassador and plans to recruit a further two in June. The Ambassadors will be a visible presence in the town centre to support our communities, working closely with our neighbourhood policing teams to ensure the town centre remains safe for all.
Cllr Douglas, Chair of the Gateshead Community Safety Board, said: "We're extremely proud of the work being done to improve safety in our town centre and create welcoming spaces for everyone to enjoy.
"We've already seen the positive impact of partnership working in the town centre, such as the reduction in anti-social reports through Project Shield funding from the PCC.
"Partnership working is the key to success. By working together with the police, PCC, businesses in the town centre and the wider community, we hope to show how our pride in the area can make our town centre thrive."
Breaking an order is a criminal offence, which can result in a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £80 or prosecution. If prosecuted, an individual could be fined up to £1,000.
Sergeant Nicholas Minto from Gateshead Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) said: "We have seen reports of anti-social behaviour reduce by 56% between January and May this year, compared to the same time period last year. Trinity Square has also reported a 71% reduction in all incidents over the winter period, covering ASB and shoplifting.
"The PSPO provides a longer term, uniformed approach to tackling this behaviour. Nobody deserves to have to put up with this type of behaviour in their local community and by implementing this safety measure, we will hopefully see even more of a reduction of ASB. We understand the importance of creating a safe environment for businesses, residents and shoppers - this is just another way in which we are all invested in making Gateshead a safer place to be."
A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is in place in Gateshead town centre to tackle street drinking and anti-social behaviour. Enforcement of this order by Northumbria Police aims to make the town centre safer and more welcoming for everyone as part of the UK Government's Safer Streets work.
Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) aim to deal with problems in a particular area. The PSPO puts in place restrictions, which apply to everyone, on the safe use of that area so that people can enjoy our public spaces.
The restrictions of the town centre PSPO include:
- being in possession of an open container of, or consuming alcohol in the town centre outside of licensed premises
- behaving in a manner, either as an individual or within a group of people, which is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
In addition to PSPO enforcement, the council has recently recruited a Town Centre Ambassador and plans to recruit a further two in June. The Ambassadors will be a visible presence in the town centre to support our communities, working closely with our neighbourhood policing teams to ensure the town centre remains safe for all.
Cllr Douglas, Chair of the Gateshead Community Safety Board, said: "We're extremely proud of the work being done to improve safety in our town centre and create welcoming spaces for everyone to enjoy.
"We've already seen the positive impact of partnership working in the town centre, such as the reduction in anti-social reports through Project Shield funding from the PCC.
"Partnership working is the key to success. By working together with the police, PCC, businesses in the town centre and the wider community, we hope to show how our pride in the area can make our town centre thrive."
Breaking an order is a criminal offence, which can result in a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £80 or prosecution. If prosecuted, an individual could be fined up to £1,000.
Sergeant Nicholas Minto from Gateshead Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) said: "We have seen reports of anti-social behaviour reduce by 56% between January and May this year, compared to the same time period last year. Trinity Square has also reported a 71% reduction in all incidents over the winter period, covering ASB and shoplifting.
"The PSPO provides a longer term, uniformed approach to tackling this behaviour. Nobody deserves to have to put up with this type of behaviour in their local community and by implementing this safety measure, we will hopefully see even more of a reduction of ASB. We understand the importance of creating a safe environment for businesses, residents and shoppers - this is just another way in which we are all invested in making Gateshead a safer place to be."
