Police report four months without street drinking action in Boston

Councillors in Boston will question police over a sudden four month drop in street drinking incidents under the town’s Public Space Protection Order over the past few months.

A report before scrutiny next week shows a rise in actions taken under the towns PSPO over the past two years.

In 2017-18, 130 initial advice letters were given to street-drinkers, with four further warning letters and two community protection notice warnings. No community protection notices had to be issued that year, though one fixed penalty notice was given.

In comparison, up to March this year there had been 141 advice letters, four warnings and six community protection notice warnings. One community protection notice was enacted, though no fines had been issued.

However, over the four months from December last year to March this year no actions had been reported at all.

In a letter to councillors, Boston Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Fran Harrod says: “During the summer months last year PCSOs had a real purge, and I believe we have reaped the rewards from this.”

She says that so far in 2019, only 17 street drinking incidents had been reported to police by the public.

“A typical day might see up to around 100 calls for service in our area, thus it makes up a very small proportion of what the public are reporting to us,” she says, adding that there is no retrospective powers to deal with street drinkers and so police must catch them in the act.

She adds that officers who encounter street drinkers themselves, have “with few exceptions” found the person to be homeless, making warning letters unviable.

She says partners have been working together to get help and, in the case of those not from the UK, to go home if they wish to.

She says she personally has not found a street drinker on her own patrols since returning to the Boston team and invited councillors to go out with officers on patrol.

Councillors will also receive statistics surrounding general anti-social behaviour for last two years, with:

• 85 people given advice in 2018-19 (up from 77)
• 22 given a warning (down from 25)
• One signing an acceptable behaviour agreement (down from 8)
• 14 getting community protection notice warnings
• Three handed CPNs (0 in 2017-18)
• Three getting a civil injunction such as a curfews (the same as the previous year).

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