Antisocial Drinkers Could Find Themselves £100 Out Of Pocket

Crawley Borough Council may renew a Public Space Protection Order giving police power to confiscate alcohol.

Antisocial drinkers could find themselves £100 out of pocket if Crawley Borough Council agrees to put a Public Space Protection Order in place.

The current order, which expires on October 19, gives police and authorised council officers the power to confiscate alcohol if the drinker is in a public place and causing a nuisance.

The new order will cover the entire borough, except Gatwick Airport – and anyone who breaches it could end up with a Fixed Penalty Notice or even a summons to the Magistrates’ Court.

The matter was discussed by a council scrutiny committee on Monday evening (September 28) and is set to be finalised at a meeting of the full council in October.

A report to the committee said alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and disorder had been a long-standing issue in Crawley, with hot-spots in the town centre, Tilgate Park, Goffs Park, Gossops Green Playing Field, Dobbins Place, Three Bridges Playing Field and Jubilee Field.

It added:

“The behaviour demonstrates an ongoing and continuous pattern of unacceptable nuisance behaviour that is at times threatening, often intimidating and of a nature that has led to an enduring and sustained negative impact on the wider community.

“This behaviour also impacts on the perception of Crawley and its economic stability.”

Figures from Sussex Police showed there had been 605 cases of alcohol-related public place crime in 2019/20, up from 588 the previous year.

Between June 2019 and May 2020, there were 76 antisocial behaviour reports related to street drinking – nine more than the previous year.

Council leader Peter Lamb said:

[The Public Space Protection Order is] "useful in being able to tackle some of the issues we face in the town".