MORE council officers could patrol the streets – and for longer – in a continued crackdown against yobs in and around the city centre.

A report on a review of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) is due to be discussed by councillors today after the public were asked for their views on how effective it has been since coming into force last April.

The order aims to reduce anti-social behaviour caused by people drinking alcohol or using so-called legal highs, giving the police, police community support officers (PCSOs) and the council’s anti-social behaviour officers added powers to intervene.

It applies to a large part of central Bradford, from Little Germany in the east, the University of Bradford in the west, Forster Square retail park in the north and Hawkshead Estate in the south.

Anyone caught can be given a fixed penalty notice of £100 if they refuse to co-operate. It can lead to up to a £2,500 fine if the matter ends up in court.

But national organisation Liberty has expressed concern that PSPOs “disproportionately impact the most vulnerable and criminalise poverty” and has urged the council to withdraw its plans to renew the order – a stage which it is not yet at – or extend its scope.

According to the report, council-authorised officers have asked people to surrender alcohol on 446 occasions in the enforcement zone. Just over a quarter of those were in Centenary Square.

The report says police-recorded alcohol incidents have been falling since March 2014 and have fallen further since the introduction of the order.

In the 12 months to December 31, 2017, there was a 33 per cent decrease in the number of alcohol-related incidents in the city centre over the previous year.

But despite the reduction, the report says PSPO officers do not feel their powers have permanently impacted the behaviour of a “hard core” of 20 or so drinkers in the enforcement zone.

“They stop the behaviour when they witness it but the individuals concerned start the behaviour again either later in the day, next day or at another location,” it says.

Feedback from enforcement officers highlighted that on occasion they needed support from police which wasn’t always available, that they had been spat at and threatened and sometimes felt they were left “vulnerable and exposed” due to their lack of powers.

The report adds: “Of other anti-social behaviour they witnessed while on patrol, officers stated that they felt begging, especially in the city centre and at road crossings, had increased, along with the open smoking of cannabis around the magistrates’ court. In addition they also mentioned witnessing an increase in anti-social driving across the PSPO area since they started their roles.”

However, it states there are no recorded interactions with individuals suspected of taking new “psychoactive” drugs and enforcement officers explained they were unable to establish if people were intoxicated through the use of drugs or alcohol.

A total of 156 online surveys were submitted as part of the consultation, with 34 per cent of people saying they felt levels of alcohol-related anti-social behaviour had remained the same and 23 per cent of people feeling they had decreased.

And when asked if they felt safer in the enforcement zone, 50 per cent of people said they hadn’t noticed a difference, 29 per cent of people said ‘no’ and 13 per cent reported they did feel safer.

In looking at other anti-social behaviour recorded by police in the order area, the number of road-related offence incidents has increased by 14 per cent in Bradford city centre over the last year and youth-related incidents increased by 92 per cent in the city centre in the 12 months to December 31 last year.

MORE TOP STORIES

According to the report, a district-wide PSPO to deal with anti-social driving is currently under consideration. The issues related to anti-social driving raised in this review will be considered as part of the process.

It is recommended consideration is given by the Strategic Director of Place to increasing the number of officers patrolling the city centre PSPO – and other PSPO areas – and enforcing the order during evenings and weekends.

It’s also recommended a further review of the effectiveness of the order is undertaken in a year’s time.