Two successful prosecutions for breaching town centre PSPO

Thursday, 10 November 2022 16:56

Two men who breached the Walsall Town Centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) by failing to stop drinking when asked to do by Community Protection Enforcement Officers and who were verbally abusive to the officers have been successfully prosecuted by Walsall Council and found guilty.

Peter Pinder (60) from Walsall, breached the PSPO on 17 May 2022. He was found guilty at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 2 November 2022 and fined £220 for the offence as well as £383.89 court costs and a £34 victim surcharge, a total of £637.89.

Richard O’Brien (37) from Palfrey, breached the PSPO on 17 September 2022. He was found guilty at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 2 November 2022, fined £220 for the offence as well as £324.45 court costs and a £88 victim surcharge, a total of £632.45.

Walsall Council’s Community Protection Team brought the prosecution under a breach of the Walsall Town Centre Public Space Protection Order. PSPOs help deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is damaging to the local community’s quality of life. The PSPO in place in Walsall town centre was put in place to tackle anti-social behaviour including street drinking and public urination.

Councillor Garry Perry, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resilient Communities at Walsall Council, said, “We want our town centre to be a welcoming and vibrant place. It’s not acceptable to behave in this way, and we will continue to work with the police and other partner agencies to address anti-social behaviour of this type, and ensure Walsall is a great place to live, work and visit.

“One of the offences in Walsall town centre was caught on our newly purchased body worn cameras and when Magistrates viewed the footage in court, they said that council officers should not have to suffer this sort of abuse and thanked them for their work. I agree and commend them for their good work. The negative impact of street drinking and the anti-social behaviour associated with it will not be tolerated and we are committed to taking positive action to tackle this sort of behaviour.”