Nottingham’s Community Protection Officers now have the power to fine street drinkers up to £70 on the spot.
New Public Spaces Protection Orders came into force on Friday (October 20) meaning the city’s 100 Community Protection Officers (CPOs) can issue the penalties.
An existing network of other orders already cover Nottingham, meaning authorised officers can ask people to stop drinking alcohol in public places under certain circumstances.
The existing orders have now been converted to the new set of rules in accordance with the the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
They cover the whole of the city of Nottingham from the city centre to suburbs like Clifton, Wollaton and Bulwell – and Community Protection Officers, who are run by the council, will now have the power to fine offenders £70. Previously only police officers could give out penalties.
Under the new order, a Community Protection Officer can:
- Require a person not to consume alcohol
- Require a person to surrender any alcohol in his/her possession
- Dispose of the alcohol
- Issue a fine of £70
The City Council said in a statement: “The new order will help tackle anti-social behaviours associated with street drinking, including vomiting, urinating and defecating in public areas, littering, violence, aggressive or intimidating behaviour and criminal damage.”
When a CPO intervenes in those cases, the street drinker will be asked to stop drinking and surrender their alcohol – if the street drinker complies with those instructions, they won’t receive a fine, the council says.
If the street drinker fails to comply – they will receive a fine of £70. If the fine isn’t paid, they can be taken to court and given a higher fine of up to £500.
Councillor Toby Neal, Portfolio Holder for Community Services said: “Street drinking can result in unpleasant anti-social behaviour – including noise, rowdy and threatening behaviour, harassment and intimidation of passers-by, as well as the littering of cans and bottles.
“We have a huge active night-time economy in Nottingham, and although it’s only a small minority who disrupt our city in this way, these new measures will allow our Community Protection Officers to deal with disruptive street drinking quickly and effectively.”
