Forty yobs facing town centre ban
New powers aim to shake off ‘thuggish’ image
VIOLENT and persistent antisocial offenders face being banned from Accrington town centre.
Hyndburn Police will use new legislation to issue orders as part of a crackdown on troublemakers.
The scheme - which is backed by the threat of prison sentences for those who ignore the orders - is being sup- ported by Hyndburn council as part of ongoing efforts to boost the town centre and rid it of a perceived ‘thuggish’ reputation.
Councillors believe up to 40 individuals could be served with the orders which will be used to target the ‘worst of the worst’. Offenders who receive banning orders will be named and shamed publicly so landlords and the public can report breaches.
VIOLENT and persistent anti-social offenders are facing being excluded from the town centre in a bid to boost the night-time economy.
Hyndburn Police will use new legislation to issue Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO) as part of a crackdown on troublemakers in large parts of Accrington.
Backed by the threat of prison sentences for breaches, the scheme is being supported by Hyndburn council as part of ongoing efforts to boost the town centre and rid it of a perceived ‘thuggish’ reputation.
Councillors believe up to 40 individuals could be served with the orders which will be used to target the ‘worst of the worst’.
Offenders who receive banning orders will be named and shamed publicly so landlords and the public can report breaches.
Sgt John Kennedy, of Hyndburn Police, said CBOs have been successful in tackling shoplifters and they now want to use the powers to protect the nighttime economy.
He told the Observer: “We feel that Accrington is a safe place at night but there’s definitely been a drop off in the number of people coming to pubs over the last decade or so.
“This is mainly due to a fear of crime, which the figures don’t necessarily bear out. When the banning orders come into place we need to be proactive in targeting those individuals. It’s got to mean something.
“The public are our eyes and ears and if someone shouldn’t be there then they need to tell us so we can deal with it.
“We already have the Pubwatch scheme which identifies people who are not welcome but this is much more impactive and it will make it a criminal offence if you breach the order.”
Sgt Kennedy said lowlevel persistent offenders will fall foul of the scheme should warning letters and fines fail to work, but could be immediately applied in the case of more violent offenders.
The terms and length of the CBO will vary for each offender depending on their crime, however any breaches could result in a jail sentence.
John Corbett, who runs the Warner Arms, said he supported the initiative and hopes it will reduce antisocial problems in the area.
He said: “We want it to bring more, nicer people into the town and make them feel safe. We have got to promote the night-time economy because it’s a dying breed. We are one of the few still going.”