Sudbury Town Council backs idea of alcohol-free zone in town centre to tackle street drinking and anti-social behaviour
The idea of an alcohol-free zone in the centre of Sudbury has been backed by the town council, in the hope that it could potentially help tackle street drinking and associated anti-social behaviour.
Sudbury Town Council agreed last week to collaborate with Suffolk Police and Babergh District Council, on a response to the recent rise of people consuming alcohol outdoors in the town.
Evidence will now be gathered, to build the case for a possible application for a public space protection order (PSPO) – a measure to help local authorities deal with anti-social behaviour (ASB).
A PSPO can be granted to impose conditions on the use of a public area, with breaches punishable with fines, if it is demonstrated that ASB is detrimentally affecting that area, and that this behaviour is likely to persist.
At September’s town council meeting, Sgt Oliver Williams, of the Sudbury community policing team, raised the possibility of a PSPO for the town, citing its success in other parts in Suffolk.
“In the summer, we’ve had a little spike in street drinking,” he told councillors. “I noticed recently there were some people drinking on the benches by Greggs.
“At this moment in time, when you have got children, mums and dads crossing the road away from these people, we wouldn’t want that in Sudbury.
“There’s some legislation that could be applied for, which is a geographical order that stops people drinking in a certain area.
“If there are four or five people drinking on the benches, and you get anti-social behaviour, people don’t go to the shops because they don’t want to walk past them.
“We’re trying to be preventative rather than reactive. If you look at case studies where there is a public space protection order, it’s trying to improve the town centre. I think it’s a good thing.
“It’s not to stop people having a nice drink at an event. It needs to be proportionate and follow common sense. There’s no point putting in a blanket ban onto Sudbury.”
In response to the suggestion, town councillors voted in favour of working with police on working towards a PSPO – although Cllr Nigel Bennett emphasised that it would need to cover very defined areas.
Cllr Jan Osborne said: “Right from the beginning, I’ve wanted this in Sudbury. It works well in Bury St Edmunds.
Cllr Melanie Barrett added: “If the police think it makes dealing with misbehaviour in the town centre easier, I think we have to support it.”
