Renewal of Public Spaces Protection Orders for Anti-Social Behaviour and Dog Control in Richmond borough 2023-26

Overview

What are PSPOs?

PSPOs are powers available to local authorities under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, to restrict problem behaviours and ensure that public spaces are safe and enjoyable for everyone to use.

Background

Richmond Council introduced two Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) in October 2017 and renewed them in 2020.

Our PSPO for Anti-Social Behaviour prohibits or restricts behaviours that are recurring problems for users of public spaces. The PSPO for Dog Control places requirements and restrictions to encourage responsible dog walking.

The measures in both orders apply mainly to council parks but some also apply to rights of way, highways, all council land or the entire borough, and are all aimed at ensuring our shared spaces are usable and accessible for all residents and visitors.

How are PSPOs enforced?

Fixed Penalty Notices can be given for offences. Enforcement under these PSPOs is predominantly undertaken by the Council, which takes an educational approach by using the orders as a tool to improve behaviour, with penalties used only where considered necessary. On occasion, Council enforcement may be supported by the Police. Under the current orders 1,393 warnings, 749 requests to leave and 652 penalty notices have been issued under the PSPOs to date.

What's being proposed and why?

The Council is proposing the renew the current PSPOs for another three years.

The PSPOs are considered to have been successful; they have proven an improved deterrent and enabled a better response when problems are observed by authorised officers. However, resident complaints received over the same period demonstrate that the issues covered by the PSPOs remain ongoing.

You can view a summary of the PSPO restrictions here and the full draft Orders can be found at the bottom of this page.

The Equality Impact Needs Assessment (EINA) here explains any potential impacts the proposed PSPO restrictions might have on groups with protected characteristics.

Have your say

As part of this process, we would like to hear the views of people living in, working in or visiting the borough. We would be grateful if you could  take the time to respond using the online survey below. If you need the consultation materials in hard copy or any other format, please contact us at parks@richmond.gov.uk or call 020 8891 1411.

What happens next

All responses to the consultation will be analysed and carefully considered before being reported with all other available evidence to the full Council meeting in July. If implemented, the PSPOs would be introduced for three years and reviewed on a regular basis.