New police powers to help fight the scourge of anti-social behaviour were welcomed today in West Devon (Tuesday, June 10).

A recent upsurge in drink-related vandalism, abuse, verbal harassment and littering in Tavistock has led to police being granted increased powers across the whole town.

On average, this has amounted to 200 incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) every year in both Okehampton and Tavistock.

Okehampton also has a new town-wide public spaces protection order (PSPO) giving police the powers to seize alcohol and disperse anyone either causing a nuisance or having the potential to do so.

Up until this week Tavistock only had a PSPO in the Meadows park which was successful in dramatically reducing littering and other nuisance behaviour, but also dispersed problems into the town centre and further across the town.

The new town-wide measure was launched by West Devon Borough Council and West Devon community police with a new public sign fixed in Tavistock’s Bedford Square.

Sgt Tom Ottley said: “The community police teams welcome this new order which gives us extended powers to tackle anti-social behaviour across Tavistock for the first time.

“We have been asking for this for two years now and after a period of public consultation we have responded to what people want. Above all, the want to feel safe and comfortable walking about in the town. There has been an increase in alcohol-related incidents reported to us, so we have been working with our partners such as West Devon Borough Council, the Okehampton and Tavistock town councils, the Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership and are having some success in addressing residents’ concerns.”

He said the PSPO was easy to enforce and enabled officers to get back on the beat after completing paperwork: “Primarily it enables us to prevent problem before they lead to problems which worry other people.”

The PSPOs are the legal robust frameworks necessary to deal with anti-social behaviour, in this instance from alcohol. If someone then does display anti-social behaviour in a PSPO area and does not stop the offending behaviour when requested to by the police, they could receive a fine or in some cases, be taken to court after initial warnings.

Public feedback showed residents were frustrated that offenders were apprehended, but were quickly seen on the street being a nuisance again: “We as police shared this disappointment, but the PSPOs enable us to act quickly and bring people before the courts.”

He reassured residents this was not a ban on enjoying alcohol sensibly, on a picnic or celebrating with friends.

Tavistock Town Mayor Cllr Steve Hipsey said: “The PSPOs are an effective way of dealing with anti-social behaviour across the whole of Tavistock to keep everyone safe and prevent abuse.”

Karen Procter, West Devon Borough Council environmental health and licensing officer, said the new powers would support the wellbeing of communities.

Janna Sanders, Business Improvement District manager, said the new powers were a powerful way of protecting town centres around businesses and the night-time economy: “The PSPOs are a welcome development to make the town a better place to be in.”