The Council and Warwickshire Police wish to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in Nuneaton and Bedworth town centres and would like your views.
Over the past year, there has been an increase in anti-social behaviour in Nuneaton and Bedworth town centres, which has resulted in the public not feeling safe and avoiding the locations.
This has been recognised by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and Warwickshire Police who promise to combat such behaviour through enforcement, diversion, and the Criminal Justice System.
By working in collaboration, the Council and Warks Police wish to introduce a new PSPO which will permit them to take action against those committing anti-social behaviour in Nuneaton and Bedworth towns.
We have learnt that over the past year, individuals and groups are concealing their identities in order to intimidate and harass people of our towns, and this will not be tolerated. This PSPO will enable us to effectively deal with any such suspected individuals.
Forming part of the Council’s wider enforcement and engagement strategy to reduce anti-social behaviour and disrupt criminality in the borough towns, this PSPO aims to build back public confidence in the community.
You can provide your views on the PSPO in the survey from 23 September until 7 October 2024.
In addition to the PSPO, Warwickshire Police are aiming to introduce a new initiative called Operation Resolve, which commits a heightened officer presence to target areas where incidents have increased since 2023.
The aim will be to deter and deal with any potential incidents and offer community reassurance. In addition to covering key daytime hours, the initiative will also offer a presence during the night to support local businesses.
Cllr Nicola King, Portfolio Holder for Business and Regeneration, said:
“Nuneaton and Bedworth town centres remain our priority through our ambitious regeneration project to create the right culture for the people of our towns, providing them with new shops, eateries, leisure facilities, and new exciting spaces.
“The Nuneaton and Bedworth Community Safety Partnership has recognised that change is needed, and we have been working with Warwickshire Police to ensure that our towns are safe, desirable and brought back to the thriving place they used to be.”
Inspector Ryan Walker, from the Safer Neighbourhood Team Nuneaton and Bedworth, added:
“Over the past year, the public’s confidence to use our town centres for everyday business has decreased. In my opinion this is due to the congregation of groups taking part in anti-social behaviour, such as anti-social cycling and intentional covering of faces to cause wider distress to our communities.
“Our aim is to work in collaboration to restore the confidence the public deserve, making our town centres the foundations of our communities. The PSPO will be fundamental, allowing for wider enforcement, targeting those people who are causing the community unnecessary problems.
“The police and the local authority will be looking to enforce this PSPO robustly, making sure there is continuous engagement with the individuals involved to negate wider concerns or future occurrences.”