Public gets say on antisocial behaviour crackdown

Residents and business owners have been urged to share their thoughts on plans to tackle anti-social behaviour in Wolverhampton's city centre.

The city council has announced plans to introduce a public spaces protection order (PSPO) within the ring road, as well as St John's Retail Park, Sainsbury's, Molineux Stadium, Asda, and the railway station.

If approved, the order would prohibit drinking alcohol in public places, loitering, aggressive begging, urinating in public, loud music, and the anti-social use of e-bikes and e-scooters.

Public consultation on the plans runs until 00:00 GMT on 26 February.

The measure would sit alongside the existing city centre PSPO, introduced in 2024 to tackle groups of three or more causing, or likely to cause, anti-social behaviour, or wearing face coverings if they have no reasonable grounds to do so.

Councillor Obaida Ahmed said: "As with many major towns and cities, Wolverhampton experiences some unacceptable behaviour in the city centre, and we are seeking people's views as to whether this Public Space Protection Order should be introduced to help tackle these issues.

"We have already seen the positive impact the existing city centre PSPO has had, contributing to a 16% reduction in recorded crime and a 50% fall in robberies, and we want to hear what people think of our proposals for a second PSPO, providing further restrictions over a wider area – so please have your say."

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