Council staff in Swansea are to be given more powers to clamp down on persistent anti-social behaviour, including by people who exploit housing tenants. Cabinet agreed to the use of three measures by certain housing and city centre management staff in a move a report said was backed by South Wales Police.
City centre staff can already issue fixed penalty notices to individuals while housing officers issue what are known as civil injunctions to set clear standards of behaviour.
Three new measures approved
Two of the three measures to be rolled out are community protection warnings and community protection notices. A community protection warning is the first formal step where persistent or continuing unreasonable behaviour is having a detrimental effect locally. If the behaviour continues, a community protection notice may be considered following an assessment of the evidence and circumstances. Failure to comply with a notice is a criminal offence.
The third power - closure orders - are for housing officers to deal with serious nuisance, criminality, exploitation or suspected "cuckooing" cases, where perpetrators take over the home of often vulnerable people through force or coercion. These orders can be partial, for example restricting harmful individuals without excluding the tenant, or full.
Council leaders back the move
Speaking at a cabinet meeting deputy council leader Andrea Harrington said the use of these powers was felt to be timely and complemented a decision last month to expand a three-year public space protection order to cover a large area of central Swansea including the marina, a section of beachfront, and Dyfatty.
She said the authorities would rather encourage people to improve their behaviour than issue fines, but added: "We are seeing a significant rise unfortunately in complex behaviours." Council leader Rob Stewart said the powers would be a "really valuable tool in our armoury".
The cabinet report said the powers were available under legislation from 2014, and that training and oversight would be provided for staff exercising them.
Speaking after the meeting Cllr Harrington said: "Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home, neighbourhood and community. We recognise the impact anti-social behaviour can have on residents and businesses, while also understanding that there can be underlying issues driving that behaviour.
"Our focus is on early intervention, support and positive action wherever possible, while ensuring appropriate measures are available to protect individuals and communities when needed."
