New Public Space Protection Order in place
New powers will be supported by dedicated team of Community Safety Wardens
Determined to tackle crime and disorder, Basildon Conservatives have approved the implementation of a borough-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB). The PSPO will clamp down on street drinking and substance use, public urination and defecation, use of motor vehicles, pony and traps and car cruising.
The PSPO was originally proposed by Pitsea councillors Luke Mackenzie and Craig Rimmer to tackle boy racers near the Pitsea flyover but has been expanded to cover other areas in the borough. The order has been designed to ensure residents can use and enjoy public spaces across Basildon Borough without having to worry about ASB and petty criminality.
Under the borough-wide order, car cruising is now banned at Festival Leisure Park, Mayflower Retail Park and Pitsea Town Centre, as well as the use of any motor vehicle without reasonable excuse or the express permission of the Council in fifteen of borough parks, including Gloucester Park, Lake Meadows and Northlands Park.
It also bans the possession of any open container of alcohol in Basildon and Pitsea town centres and the consumption of alcohol anywhere in the borough where it is causing ASB. It will also prohibit the use of pony and traps in Cranfield Park, Northlands Park and Barn Hall Recreation Ground.
The PSPO came into force from April 1st, 2022 and provides additional powers to the police and other authorised officers, including Basildon's new Community Safety Wardens, to enforce the prohibitions within the order and help tackle these issues and make the borough a safer place for all.
"People using our town centres, parks and public spaces should not have to put up with anti-social behaviour and we are determined to do all we can do to stamp it out." ~ Cllr Andrew Baggott, Leader of Basildon Council
Cllr Andrew Baggott, Leader of Basildon Council and Cabinet Member for Enforcement & Public Order, said: "This new PSPO that the Conservative Administration has introduced will provide us with additional powers to support Essex Police in tackling crime and disorder and will help make public spaces across our borough safe places for everyone to enjoy. People using our town centres, parks and public spaces should not have to put up with anti-social behaviour and we are determined to do all we can do to stamp it out."
To back up the PSPO, the Council has also introduced a new team of Community Safety Wardens to tackle ASB across the borough's estates, town centres and parks with high-visibility patrols, proactively identifying community issues and sharing information with relevant partners, including the Police, to promote a multi-agency problem-solving response.
These wardens will be there for residents in the community to act as a source of advice and guidance in relation to ASB and will be engaging with the local community to build positive relationships across problem areas to discourage and reduce crime. Their powers include being able to issue verbal and written warnings and Fixed Penalty Notices and can provide professional witness statements for any incidents that occur in the community and helping to enforce the PSPO.
Wardens will be working in pairs, patrolling across the borough seven days a week, operating between the hours of 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. and will be equipped with live body cameras and tracked via GPS to enable the Council to best deploy them to problem areas and potential incidents.