Street-drinking ban 'not a silver bullet' for town

A ban on street drinking will not be a "silver bullet" for anti-social behaviour in a market town, police have said.

Concerns have been raised about trouble in Dereham, Norfolk, with officers called to a town centre hotel used as emergency homeless accommodation almost 250 times in five years.

Breckland district councillors have agreed to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which will ban drinking in the street and other anti-social behaviour.

Insp Simon Jones said it would give street wardens more enforcement powers, but police could not be present all the time.

Jones, the police area commander, told a council meeting street wardens would provide "additional capacity" but the PSPO was not "the silver bullet".

He also admitted that people felt crime was "getting worse, even though the figures would suggest otherwise."

"We have to change that perception collectively," he added.

"And I think ultimately, the advent of the PSPO will assist in doing that."

Breckland Council started a consultation on a PSPO following a public meeting in December, attended by about 250 people.

It had been organised to discuss the NR19 hotel, where police had been called dozens of times a year since 2020.

Three months on, meeting organiser Ian Milligan said there were still problems in the town centre.

"If you talk to the police, they'll tell you the numbers of anti-social behaviour calls have dropped," he said.

"If you talk to residents, they'll tell you the problem is still the same – I think there is an issue with people reporting because they don't think anything is going to be done about it."

More than 200 people took part in the consultation and 97% supported the idea of a PSPO.

It will give police and council officers authority to confiscate alcohol, issue penalty notices and force individuals to leave the town centre for up to six hours.

Conservative Tristan Ashby, Breckland's cabinet member for communities, said they could introduce street wardens to Dereham to help enforce it.

But he also said the council had formed a "task force" with the NHS, police and other agencies which could provide support to those "causing a public nuisance".

"They might be homeless, they might have addictions," he said.

"Providing necessary support will also help improve the area and make people feel much safer."

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