Agenda item

Report attached separately. 

The committee received a report from the Safer Communities Manager seeking to gauge opinion from the West/Central Area Committee on the possible implementation of a Dispersal Order under section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 to cover the centre of the City and the Grafton Area. 

 

Inspector Poppit addressed the committee and raised the following points:

             I.      There had been an increase in anti-social behaviour related to street life in the Grafton Centre area.

          II.      A dispersal order would allow both Police and PCSO’s to take action.

       III.      The order would be part of a larger strategy designed to “ensure that street life does not flourish in the area”.

 

Councillor Bick stated that such orders require both the Council and the police to agree. They had been used in the past and had achieved results. However, this paper is not requesting a S30 order; it was an invitation to members to debate the issues. A S30 order was a significant move and would not be taken lightly.

 

Councillor Hipkin argued that the tone of the report suggested that the problems were confined to street life and the homeless community.  He further suggested that young drinkers in the City Centre on a Friday or Saturday night were a bigger problem. Commercial pressures and the development of a night-time economy had caused the problems. Additional cameras and increased policing would be a better solution. An S30 order would displace the problem rather than resolving it.

 

Members raised the following points:

      IV.      The statistics used in the report would be more useful if they covered a longer period.

         V.      Street life may be unsightly, however, the evidence suggested that only a small minority were problematic.

      VI.      A map of the proposed area would be helpful.

   VII.      Why was Willow Walk excluded?

 

Inspector Poppit responded. The exclusion area was based on available evidence. Any final proposal would include wider evidence. If the powers were in place they would be used to address any issues that arose.

 

(Q1) Mrs Stobbs

Residents of Cambridge show compassion for the homeless and were concerned that attitudes were changing. The homeless should not be victimised.

 

Councillor Cantrill stated that there was no evidence of increased rough sleeping and that the City Council invests in services for the homeless.

 

(Q2) Richard Taylor

The tone of the report implies treating the homeless in a different way to other citizens. The lack of a map is problematic, as is the Willow Walk area. Those living in the hostel in Willow Walk cannot be excluded from their homes. S30 was an authoritarian approach which would give considerable powers to low level Police Officers and PCSOs. 

 

Inspector Poppit responded. The S30 would be another tool and Officers would use their professional judgement about its use. If people behave properly there would be no problem.

 

(Q3) Member of the Public

What happens at the borders of the dispersal area such as Midsummer Common? Resolving one problem creates another somewhere else.

 

The aim of a dispersal order is not to displace the problem but rather to stop large groups forming and to change the dynamics of the area.

 

Councillor Bick summed up the debate. There is no request for a S30 at present. Any use of a S30 would be based on the situation and behaviour patterns and not the class or status of those involved. He thanked members of the committee and the public for their comments and reminded them that should an S30 be deemed necessary, the decision would need to be made quickly.

 

RESOLVED

 

             I.      To note the debate; and

          II.      That the views of the Committee would be used to inform the decision of the Executive Councillor for Community Safety, prior to a formal submission from the Constabulary to the Council and any decision being taken.