Harassment and public urination: Lincoln’s anti-social behaviour hotspots

Harassment of customers, loud parties and public urination are some of the complaints made in Lincoln’s anti-social behaviour hotspots.

According to a Freedom of Information request, Park ward, which includes the Sincil Bank area, had the highest amount of reports between April 2018 and March 2019.

The City of Lincoln Council received 3,181 requests for services in relation to anti-social behaviour last year, which led to 589 fines been handed out following investigation.

In Park ward, rowdy or nuisance behaviour was the most reported complaint, with 38 recorded incidents in the area.

More than 3,000 anti-social behaviour complaints were made to the city council last year. Photo Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A total of 216 reports about rowdy behaviour were made to the city council across all 11 of its wards.

Among the complaints in Park to the authority was “youths harassing customers outside the premises and at the windows” on Kesteven Street and “public urination and shouting” on Bargate.

The area was also subject to substance misuse, trespass, begging and noise incidents.

Elsewhere, Abbey ward had the second highest amount of anti-social behaviour reports totalling 46 over the course of the year.

The area had 29 reports of rowdy or nuisance behaviour, eight substance misuse incidents and four reports of begging.

One incident logged included “Youths climbing into garden and shouting abuse” at one resident on Tower Avenue.

Park ward, which includes the Sincil Bank area, had the most anti-social behaviour reports last year.

Meanwhile, Birchwood had 36 recorded incidents, Carholme 34, Moorland 26 and Boultham had 18 incidents.

Francesca Bell, public protection, anti-social behaviour and licensing manager at the council, said the city had seen a “gradual decline” in numbers of incidents over the last couple of years.

“Where anti-social behaviour exists in communities, the city council will work to find a resolution,” she said.

“Park and Abbey ward do experience a number of issues that the anti-social behaviour team can assist with. There does not appear to be an obvious reason for this, and figures can be interpreted in different ways.

“While we would like for our communities not to experience any anti-social behaviour, we are pleased that residents take pride in their communities by reporting issues that we are able to respond to accordingly.

“We are working within all our communities to encourage community pride and ownership. Within Park ward particularly there is a regeneration strategy that encompasses a number of plans and aspirations for the area.”

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