Issue - meetings

Public Protection and Community Engagement Portfolio

To consider report CH/195 of the Head of Crawley Homes, which was referred to the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Commission on 31 January 2022.

RESOLVED

That Full Council be recommended to approve the following items:

a)         the extenisons for a period of 3 years the Borough wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to prohibit vehicle related anti-social behaviour associated with car cruise activity in the borough of Crawley as set out in Appendix A of report CH/195.

b)         that fixed penalties imposed for breaches of the PSPO be maintained at £100.

Reasons for the Recommendations

A PSPO can target a range of behaviours and can prohibit specified activities or require certain things to be done by people engaged in certain activities.  PSPO’s can send a clear message that certain behaviours will not be tolerated and help reassure residents and businesses that unreasonable conduct is being addressed. 

Council officers from a number of services including ASB, Community Wardens and Community Safety consider it necessary to extend the PSPO in order to prevent an increase in the in frequency and/or seriousness of car cruise activity after the current PSPO expires.  The extension is also supported by the Police, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), and West Sussex County Council.

The current PSPO has had some success at controlling the incidence of car cruise activity, particularly in relation to repeat offenders.  However, the incidence of car cruise incidents continues to occur and there are currently regular gatherings including those occurring late into the evening and early hours of the morning between the hours of 22:00 and 03:00.

The extension of the PSPO will continue to enhance public safety through a targeted approach to tackle the problems associated with car cruise activity.

The Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Community Engagement presented report CH/195 of the Head of Crawley Homes.  The report sought agreement to the extension of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to prohibit car cruise activity by a further 3 years when the existing PSPO expired following a successful first three year period of the Order. The Cabinet were informed that the renewal of the PSPO had been fully supported by Sussex Police and a significant majority of the local business community who had been consulted as part of the renewal process. Councillor Jones informed the Cabinet that there had been a recent change in approach in respect of issuing fines for car cruise breaches of the PSPO, previously a warning letter would be sent to drivers and then a fine would follow, if they had been caught breaching the PSPO, but the Council was now just issuing fines for car cruise breaches. It was noted that the maximum amount set by statue for a PSPO fine was £100.

The Cabinet was informed, as part of the proposed renewal proposes that the Council would be purchasing a portable number plate recognition device that would allow the Council to be more proactive in tackling car cruise breaches, through setting up the mobile device in areas of the Borough where car cruise events were taking place.   

Councillor Khan presented the Overview and Scrutiny Commission’s comments on the report to the Cabinet following consideration of the matter at its meeting on 31 January 2022, which included:

·         That the Commission sought confirmation over the number of warning letters sent regarding breaching the PSPO, 83, and fixed penalty notices 32.

·         That the Commission acknowledged that the car cruise gatherings posed both a nuisance and danger to the wider public road users and it was felt the seriousness had not altered, however the frequency of the larger events had increased. 

·         Recognition that the current car cruise activity was a health and safety concern in addition to an anti-social behaviour issue and the Commission offered its general support for the extension to the Public Space Protection Order – Car Cruising to continue to enhance public safety through a targeted approach.

Councillor Crow was invited to speak to the item and commenting that he was in favour of the renewal and welcomed that going forward. the Council would be issuing fines rather than sending warning letters first.

Councillors Jhans and Lamb, both spoke as part of the discussion on the report and in support of renewing the PSPO due to its seeming success over the past three years. 

RESOLVED

That the Full Council be recommended to approve the following items:

a)         the extensions for a period of 3 years the Borough wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to prohibit vehicle related anti-social behaviour associated with car cruise activity in the borough of Crawley as set out in Appendix A of report CH/195.

b)         that fixed penalties imposed for breaches of the PSPO be maintained at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9

To consider report CH/195 of the Head of Crawley Homes.

The Commission considered report CH/195 of the Head of Crawley Homes.  The report sought approval to the extension of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to prohibit car cruise activity by a further 3 years when the existing PSPO expires.

During the discussion with the Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Community Engagement, Deputy Chief Executive, Head of Crawley Homes and Tenancy Services Manager, Councillors made the following comments:

·       Acknowledgement that additional measures were being investigated to prevent car cruise activity including enforcement, the issuing of warning letters and fixed penalty notices (FPN).

·       It was paramount to liaise with local businesses and this had resulted in some successes in key locations associated with car cruises (for example Sainsbury West Green) where additional measures had been installed such as traffic calming and mobile CCTV units.

·       Joint working and consultation with the police, WSCC, Manor Royal Business District and Gatwick Diamond Business Watch had proven positive.

·       Recognition that whilst liaison had taken place between the police and the car cruise organisers it was not the council’s position to propose alternative locations, merely to send a clear message through joint working and the extension of the PSPO that certain behaviours would not be tolerated and help reassure residents and businesses that unreasonable conduct relating to car cruise activity was being addressed. 

·       Acknowledgement that the FPN was currently set at a £100 which applied to all individuals taking part in car cruise activity. Following this, on non-payment of the FPN reminder letters can follow and subsequent court action if the fine remained unpaid. Warning letters had been a deterrent for the activity to cease in the past. The amount of fines collected currently resided within the NASB budget.

·       Recognition that whilst during March 2019-October 2021 there were 146 incidents reported to the police and 131 incidents reported to the council during the same period, some of these could have been duplicated.

·       Confirmation provided that since the PSPO was made, the council had issued 83 breach of PSPO letters. 4 of these related to repeat offenders.  Until recently, no fixed penalty notices were issued, 32 have now been issued.

·       Acknowledgement that the car cruise gatherings posed both a nuisance and danger to the wider public road users and it was felt the seriousness had not altered, however the frequency of the larger events had increased. 

·       Recognition that the current car cruise activity was a health and safety concern in addition to an anti-social behaviour issue and the Commission offered its general support for the extension to the Public Space Protection Order – Car Cruising to continue to enhance public safety through a targeted approach.

RESOLVED

That the Commission noted the report and requested that the views expressed during the debate, were fed back to the Cabinet through the Commission’s Comment sheet.