A crackdown on anti-social behaviour, including street drinking, electric bike use and begging, could be introduced in Reading.
Regular complaints have been in the town relating to begging, the anti-social use of e-bikes and e-scooters and other forms of intimidating behaviour.
This has prompted Reading Borough Council to explore imposing a borough-wide public space protection order (PSPO) in the town.
PSPOs run for three years and involve punishments being issued to people who engage in anti-social activities.
Those who are caught in activities that breach PSPOs are guilty of a criminal offence and can be fined a maximum of £1,000.
The latest proposal aims to control begging, street drinking, dog behaviour and fouling, and the anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes.
The council previously imposed a PSPO from 2018 to 2021.
However, a top council officer revealed that PSPO had limited success due to difficulties with enforcement.
A report by Jason Murphy, the council’s community safety manager, states: “Unfortunately, it was not as effective as it had been hoped, due to issues with resourcing enforcement activity and capturing data.
“However, officers have been working through lessons learnt from this experience to ensure that if the power is introduced again in Reading, there is a clear commitment from both the council and Thames Valley Police to ensure it is effectively and proportionately used, with clear expectations set out from the offset as to how it will be enforced and by which agency.”
The impact of forms of anti-social behaviour has led to changes in the town centre.
In response to concerns about alleged street drinking and intimidating behaviour outside Broad Street Mall, the Metro Bank paid to file down a ledge that anti-social behaviour suspects were using to congregate.
Furthermore, in an effort to discourage people from giving beggars money, the council introduced the ‘Tap for Reading’ initiative this January.
The initiative gives people the opportunity to donate between £2-£20 to support charities, rather than the beggars themselves.
Money collected is then distributed to St Mungo’s, Launchpad, The Salvation Army and the YMCA.
Mr Murphy’s report states that the council is attempting to tackle begging using Tap for Reading and by working with the Big Issue vendors.
PSPO powers will be used only when a beggar is persistent, is in suitable accommodation and refuses to engage with support offered.
The council’s administration is seeking to move ahead with a public consultation into a new borough-wide PSPO.
Following that consultation, the new measures could be approved in November.
A decision on whether to move ahead with a PSPO consultation is set to be made at a meeting of the council’s housing, neighbourhoods and leisure committee on Wednesday, July 9.
