Powers allowing police to crack down on alcohol-related anti-social behaviour have been renewed by Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC).
The Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) allows the police to “require the surrender of alcohol and/or to stop drinking where individuals are considered to be acting in an anti-social manner” in public places across the borough.
According to a council report, the first PSPO was introduced in 2016 “to help address persistent perpetrators of alcohol-related low level crime in the public places”.
The PSPO needs renewing every three years - and received its latest stamp of approval at a council meeting on Thursday, May 12.
In a statement, police superintendent Nathan Clark had said the order was particularly useful in the Market Place and St George's Park where behaviour had been moderated.
Labour councillor and former MP Tony Wright said that while the PSPO was “a good idea and has worked to a certain extent”, he also had “a great deal of concern” about the number of cafes and shops applying for takeaway alcohol licences in the borough’s most touristic areas.
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