Town council considering ban on booze and drugs in public places
A BAN on drinking alcohol and taking intoxicating substances to crack down on anti-social behaviour is being considered for Merthyr Tydfil town centre.
A report set to go before the council’s cabinet on Wednesday, recommends councillors agree to a 12 week consultation on a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) exclusion zone to control alcohol and other intoxicating substances related to anti-social behaviour.
It would mean people would not be allowed to take intoxicating substances including drinking alcohol in public places.
Breaching the order could result in a fine of up to £1,000 for anyone the police or authorised officers reasonably believe to have breached it or who intends to breach it.
Authorised officers and the police are able to issue on the spot fines and the council can specify the amount of an on the spot fine to the value of no more than £100.
A town centre survey was recently carried out by the council and showed 84% of those who responded had witnessed crime and disorder in the town centre.
It also showed that 85% mentioned drug-related anti-social behaviour as an issue; 80% mentioned alcohol-related anti-social behaviour as an issue and 80% mentioned swearing, shouting and offensive language.
The report included some comments raised by people who responded:
One wrote: “Something needs to be done. There is always people drinking with cans in their hands and shouting and fighting.”
Another person wrote: “The council need to do more. We need more security in the town.”
Another said: “Elderly customers are scared when going to the shops as they arrive in the town by bus and have to walk through Penderyn Square.”
Another wrote: “Now is worse than before.”
Following the concerns raised by residents and businesses, Operation Trevithick was launched to take a deep dive into the issues in the town centre.
New CCTV cameras were used to capture incidents of anti-social behaviour and the operation showed repeated, daily incidents such as intimidating behaviour, littering and groups gathering with the vast majority of incidents related to the public consumption of alcohol, the report said.
The operation showed that this would predominantly take place at key town centre locations such as Penderyn Square, the train station and law courts area.
Another report will go before cabinet after the consultation to consider the results and whether to put the order in place.
Discussions with South Wales Police would suggest that the council would need to enforce the order.
The report said the council will need to provide signs to the main entry points to the boundary of the exclusion zone which is estimated to cost less than £2,000.
The report also said the council will need to ensure existing enforcement officers are duly authorised to monitor and enforce compliance alongside police officers.