Action on yobs in city to be beefed up

POWERS to clamp down on anti social behaviour in a North Wales city could be beefed up following a request from local police.

A meeting of Gwynedd Council’s cabinet has approved a consultation on plans to bolster Bangor’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) following a rise in the number of complaints regarding anti-social behaviour in and around the city centre.

While a PSPO already exists for Caernarfon and Bangor, allowing the confiscation of alcohol and a power of arrest under certain circumstances, North Wales Police had concerns that the existing order “no longer allows sufficient leverage and powers to deal with emerging and growing types of anti-social behaviour in Bangor.”

According to the report, the main issues raised by police stem from misuse of alcohol or other substances, often resulting in “rowdy and antisocial behaviour”, with officers also reporting an increase in “aggressive begging.” As a result, the new proposed powers are expected to concentrate on “targeted interventions” on those:

Behaving in a manner that is likely to cause harassment, alarm, nuisance or distress

Loitering in a state of intoxication through alcohol or drug induced activity

Loitering or performing for reward within 10 metres of any cashpoint.

The planned powers also propose: “That consuming alcohol or being in possession of open containers of alcohol likely to cause or causing ASB is prohibited in the restricted Area. A constable or PCSO may require anyone in breach of this condition not to consume alcohol or anything they believe to be alcohol and to surrender anything in their possession which is alcohol.”

North Wales Police, in their request to the authority, said: “None of the proposed conditions are unreasonable and they’re designed to improve the city’s quality of life and impact on specific behaviours.”

Members of the cabinet were also reassured that the new powers would not include clamping down on rough sleepers.