July 21, 2014 1.49 pm This story is over 115 months old

Lincoln councillors to learn about new anti-social behaviour powers

Extra powers: Lincoln councillors will get more information about new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour in the city.

Members of the City of Lincoln Council Executive Committee will decide on granting new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the city soon.

The new ASB, Crime and Policing Act received Royal Assent in March and aims to tackle anti-social behaviour, protect victims and communities and treat the underlying behaviour of perpetrators.

It also means authorities can intervene at an earlier stage, which could mean taking action before a problem occurs.

At the next Executive on July 28, councillors will learn more about the new powers, before deciding on them at a later date this year.

New powers include:

  • Injunction to Prevent Nuisance and Annoyance (IPNA)
  • Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO)
  • Stronger eviction powers for social landlords
  • Closure notices and closure orders
  • Police Dispersal Powers/Community Protection Notice/ Public Space Protection Orders
  • Community Trigger – a third party or local elected representative can file a report regarding repeat ASB
  • Community Remedy – An alternative to court order punishment which is done in consultation with the victim

The potential new powers come after figures showed Lincoln to rank lowly in a table of safe places to live, with 97 crimes per 1,000 people in the last 12 months, placing it 311th out of 327 spots.

Sam Barstow, Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Service Manager at the City Council, explained: “The changes to anti-social behaviour tools and powers are aimed at reducing red tape and creating a framework in which these types of issues can be tackled more effectively.

“The change sees the removal of a number of previous powers and the conversion into broader and earlier types of interventions, along with significantly ‘slimming down’ the sheer number of powers and orders available.

“The powers are also geared towards bringing environmental type offences in line with how ASB is tackled, to match the public view of these problems as ‘anti-social’ – something which the council is particularly ready for following the formation of our Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Service.”