Tackling issues of anti-social behaviours (ASB) in Durham City

Background

We have consulted before on tackling some anti-social behaviour issues in Durham City and have a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place to restrict the consumption of alcohol in public spaces within a defined area of the city.

PSPOs are put in place to make sure that people can use and enjoy public spaces safely, away from anti-social behaviour. They can be a swift and effective tool to tackle ASB in areas where it has been shown that there is an ongoing problem that is having a negative effect on residents, businesses, and visitors. We have the power to make a PSPO under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

In 2022, we asked for your views on introducing additional measures to control begging in Durham City. At the time, some local residents shared their concerns about the impact on homeless people. There was not enough evidence provided to justify the introduction of a PSPO. Our Cabinet, therefore, decided not to introduce a PSPO to control begging, but recommended that further monitoring of ASB in the area should be carried out.

Since then, information has been put forward on a range of anti-social incidents in the city. Begging that is considered a nuisance or aggressive is seen by some as a continuing issue in the city centre, and there has been a reported increase in the seriousness and scale of the problem. Persistent beggars who employ aggressive techniques have been identified in the city centre area by our staff who operate in the city, the police and the Parish Council.

About this consultation

A proposal to gather evidence and consult again on the possibility of putting additional measures in place to control ASB was agreed by our Cabinet in March 2024.

We are again considering controls in the city to tackle ASB. In particular:  

• begging
• urinating (weeing) or defecating (pooing) in a public place
• using intoxicating substances/drugs in a public place

Map of proposed area

The controls, if introduced, would cover public spaces in the area on this map:

Please read the information below before responding to the survey.

What ASB has been identified

Any behaviour which causes nuisance or distress, or is damaging to the city's welcoming and safe reputation, such as:

Begging

The act of begging is considered to be:

• approaching people for money
• being stationary and directly asking for money,
• being positioned on the floor to invite the offer of money or goods

This includes:

• begging by a cash point, in a shop doorway or on public transport
• approaching someone in the street in order to beg for money
• any activity in the street that is linked to begging that is causing a public nuisance such as obstruction of doorways or pavements, or unreasonable behaviour while intoxicated, or acting in a threatening, abusive or insulting manner
• sitting or hanging around while with a sign or other item(s) in order to beg or ask for money

Urinating (weeing) or defecating (pooing) in a public place

• urinating (weeing) or defecating (pooing) in any public place other than a toilet

Using intoxicating substances/drugs in a public place

• swallowing, inhaling, injecting, smoking or in general, using drugs that affect your mental capacity (psychoactives) without a reasonable excuse

A reasonable excuse can be that:

• it is for medical use or pain relief
• it is a legal food product

The following would not be affected:

• a standard cigarette, pipe or vape used for smoking tobacco or nicotine products only
• drinking alcohol in a public space (as there is already a PSPO in place for this)

Considering the needs of people

We appreciate we have people who are genuinely homeless, and require support, and we do not wish to target them. We have good and effective services in Durham to support people who are rough sleeping, including a dedicated Rough Sleeper team. The team work regularly with the community and partner organisations, encouraging people to take up the offer of support. Reducing rough sleeping across County Durham is also a key priority of our new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy due to be adopted by us in July 2024.

Find out more at Get help to avoid becoming homeless. If you are worried about a rough sleeper, and want to report this, contact StreetLink. If you want to support a homeless person, we encourage you to donate to charities supporting homelessness, rather than directly giving the person cash.

We appreciate that people can be caught short and need to go to the toilet. We provide a list of Public toilets and many of our venues including the city's library, leisure centre and theatre have toilets available for those with a genuine need.

Have your say

We'd like to hear from you to:

• gather evidence about the issues that you may have experienced
• understand how these are affecting your ability to enjoy public spaces safely
• understand the level of support for, and your opinion of, the value of a PSPO for Durham City to tackle these issues
• understand if you feel other measures or controls would be more effective
• find out if you think there is any other anti-social behaviour and activity that you feel we should be considering

What happens next

Your feedback will be looked at and will help to inform a report to our Cabinet in Autumn 2024 for further consideration of the issues and the scope of any control proposals. This may lead to the introduction of a new PSPO, and if so, this would be publicised on this website and a publicity campaign would take place to raise awareness of it.