A town's battle with bad behaviour in the street

Plans to issues fines in Lowestoft town centre for wearing face coverings, urinating and riding e-scooters and bikes in an anti-social manner have been agreed by East Suffolk Council.

Breaches of the new public space protection order (PSPO) will mean £100 fixed penalty notices.

Sgt Richard Bemment, who oversees policing in the town centre, said the order would allow officers to deal with anti-social behaviour "quickly and effectively".

The council said it had worked with Suffolk Police and the wider community to draw up the order "to protect public spaces, support community confidence, and address harmful behaviours".

It carried out a survey to get feedback from residents about the changes to the existing PSPO. Of the 300 responses it received, 94% of people supported the upgrade.

Jen Jones, one of those who took part in the survey, said: "We have had a lot of problems with youths at the moment and it is usually those with masks on, with their identities concealed, so if they did commit a crime it is really difficult to ID them.

"I think there is a fine line between those wearing masks and out to cause problems and those, for example, that are worried about their health and wear face masks or those following their religious beliefs."

Bemment said: "You are more than welcome to wear a mask or something like a scarf. However, it is the additional part.

"Are you acting in a manner that is anti-social? If you are wearing a face cover then you're going to get the attention of the police."

While the BBC was in Lowestoft speaking to people in the town centre, a man was standing behind a brick archway near the Britten Centre. It appeared he was urinating in the street at 11:30 GMT on a Tuesday.

Bemment said that was the sort of issue the PSPO was designed to address.

"That is exactly the description of anti-social behaviour," he said.

"That is exactly the kind of behaviour that we look to tackle. And that is what members of the public tell us that they are concerned about."

The new PSPO will also cover the use of e-bikes, e-scooters and mobility scooters being used in an anti-social way.

Brian Wisker, who lives in Beccles but visits Lowestoft regularly, was not convinced the new order would make much difference.

"They had wardens – they lasted how long? A month? Then they disappeared... [they were] supposed to stop everybody riding bikes up and down and causing a nuisance."

Daniel Proitas, of Sheet Anchor Evolve, which owns the Britten Centre, agreed it would be a challenge to catch perpetrators of anti-social behaviour.

"Enforcement will be the difficult part as a lot of it was already in place under the previous PSPO," he said.

But he added: "Anything which publicises behaving like an adult is a good thing."

An East Suffolk Council spokesperson said: "The recommendation to extend and refine the PSPO in Lowestoft followed sustained partnership work with Suffolk Constabulary and wider community stakeholders who continue to highlight behaviours impacting public confidence and safety in key public spaces.

"Police officers and authorised council officers have discretion in how they enforce PSPOs, from engagement and warnings through to fixed penalty notices, helping ensure responses reflect the circumstances of each case.

"This balanced approach reinforces the purpose of PSPOs, which is to protect public spaces, support community confidence, and address harmful behaviours without imposing unnecessary or overly broad restrictions."

The PSPO will be in place for three years from early March, and will be reviewed annually.

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