Durham County Council is considering introducing Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in seven areas, including a county-wide ban on wearing balaclavas to conceal identity during anti-social behaviour.
The orders, which allow the council to restrict or ban specific activities, are being considered for Durham City, Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street, Consett, Peterlee, Seaham and Stanley. They aim to address issues such as loitering, littering and graffiti, foul or abusive language, intimidating behaviour, alcohol or substance misuse, urinating in public places, and nuisance electric bikes and scooters.
Face covering proposals
Proposals include measures against wearing face coverings, such as a balaclava, to conceal a person's identity while committing anti-social behaviour. This measure would be implemented county-wide and would require face coverings to be removed when requested by authorised officers. It would not apply to coverings worn for religious, cultural and medical reasons.
The protection orders would allow the council and Durham Constabulary to take more immediate enforcement action through Fixed Penalty Notices. They would also give more powers to council officers, neighbourhood wardens and the police.
Consultation next steps
Next week, Cabinet will be asked to agree to a full consultation exercise to gather public opinion. Councillors will meet on Wednesday, October 14 to consider the proposal. If agreed, a consultation will launch at the end of October and run for six weeks.
Cllr Kyle Genner, Durham County Council's Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, environment, and police relations, said: "Anti-social behaviour and low-level crime affect us all, and people across our county rightly want the places they live and work to be clean, tidy and free from trouble. We agree with them wholeheartedly, and that's why we take tackling those concerns so seriously."
He added: "PSPOs can be an effective way to deal with these issues, and we've worked closely with Durham Constabulary to identify where introducing a PSPO would be beneficial. The measures bring proposed would give our officers and the police more powers to robustly deal with those doing wrong."
"It would mean stronger, more immediate enforcement action against those who are causing disruption within communities. We want the message to be clear that if you're causing trouble and doing damage to neighbourhoods in the county, the consequences will be hard."
"Before rolling out any new PSPOs we're putting this proposal out for the public to share their views. Please let us know what you think and help us make our county the best place to live and work it can possibly be."
