COUNCIL chiefs want to arm police community support officers and wardens with tough new powers to deal with troublemakers using booze or so-called legal highs in Bradford city centre.

The authority is applying to be granted Public Space Protection Orders in areas including parts of Manchester Road, City Park and the surrounds of Bradford University and Bradford College.

The orders would give PCSOs and anti-social behaviour officers added powers to intervene and confiscate alcohol or legal highs if people were seen using them in the specified area.

TIME TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST TROUBLEMAKERS IN BRADFORD CITY CENTRE

The officers would be able to issue a fixed penalty notice if the offenders refused to co-operate.

The application for the orders will go before the authority's regulatory and appeals committee next week and will be followed by a six-week consultation period.

The Public Space Protection Orders would replace Designated Public Place Orders, used in areas that have experienced alcohol-related disorder or nuisance, and can be used in areas which have not been subject to such disorder.

Councillor Arshad Hussain, the council's executive member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said: "We are determined to make the city centre a safer and more attractive place for visitors and for people who work here.

"We therefore want to send out the message that we won't tolerate people using these so called legal highs or drinking alcohol in the city centre and then going onto cause anti-social behaviour.

"The businesses are very much on board as they too want the city centre to be a pleasant place to shop or to have a meal or drink on their premises."

The move comes only days after the Telegraph & Argus highlighted how problem drinkers and drug users were blighting business for traders in Rawson Road, near to the Oastler Centre.

They complained of abuse, spitting, begging, urinating and drug taking, which put off customers.

Yesterday. Val Summerscales, secretary of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said the organisation had been aware of problems for several years and would support anything that tried to sort it out.

She said: "The behaviour is intimidatory and not conducive for people wanting to shop in that area. We totally support using whatever orders they can to alleviate the situation where it has been causing a problem.

"It's a step in the right direction and if it stops it, it goes far enough."

Jeff Frankel, former chairman of Bradford Retail Action Group and a city centre retailer for 40 years, however, said the orders were "far too little too late".

He said: "What effect will it have to take a can of alcohol off someone, when they can go to a shop and buy another one immediately?

"It has taken seven years to get to this. There are already signs up saying it is illegal to drink on the street, so presumably council wardens can already give them a fine for drinking. They can't come up with a new solution, so they recycle old solutions that haven't worked.

"The Council and police have been inept in solving the problems. They seem unable to work out how to keep the city centre safe.

"If they issue fixed penalty notices, the only way to get the money out of them will be to take them to court, and how much is that going to cost?"

Andy Wharton, manager of the In Plaice fish and chip shop in Centenary Square, revealed last year how groups of drunks congregated near his shop and verbally abused customers and staff.

He said: "It's good that they are doing this, but it has been a long time coming. We have had many problems and just before Christmas we had our £1,200 shop window put through by a man whose taxi didn't turn up.

"The problem with most of these drinkers is they haven't got any money, so they're not going to pay the fixed penalties.

"Anything they are doing to try to combat the problem is a good thing, whether it works is another question."

Inspector Mike Bonner, of Bradford District Police, said: "We have been working closely with the council in this application for a public space protection order.

"This is just one of several measures which are being considered to tackle anti-social behaviour, including the misuse of alcohol and legal highs in the city centre.

"Police are committed to making the city centre a safer place for all and will continue to work with partners, including local businesses, to tackle the issues which are of most concern to the public."