Teignbridge District Council announced this week that a public spaces protection order in Teignmouth - once described as a draconian measure to tackle anti-social behaviour - is set to be scrapped. Police and community partners say they have found a more effective way of dealing with low level crime after issuing 100 ‘community protection warnings (CPWs)’ in a six-month trial.

Teignbridge District Council leader Martin Wrigley (Lib Dem, Dawlish North East) said getting rid of the PSPO, which councillors had “reluctantly” agreed in 2021, was not a bad thing.

“PSPOs are specific to places and in Teignmouth it just pushes the problem somewhere else outside the zone. It’s not that effective and doesn’t do our town any favours by having signs everywhere. It makes it look like the place is troubled," he said.

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Now, in a leader column in our sister print title the Herald Express, the editor writes that it will be be interesting to see if this more targeted approach will have lasting effects in reducing anti-social behaviour. And they also write, it will be interesting to see whether other towns plagued by low level crime, like Torquay and Paignton, might adopt this approach in future.

Read the full leader column below

An interesting change of tack in dealing with anti-social behaviour in Teignmouth by Teignbridge District Council. Out goes a ‘draconian’ Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which bans specific acts like drinking in public in a designated area, in favour of Community Protection Warnings (CPWs).

These CPWs are targeted towards individuals and give people a chance to modify their behaviour without formal sanctions being issued. If they do not then change their ways, they can be fined or prosecuted.

Police and community partners say CPWs are a more effective way of dealing with low level crime with some 100 warnings issued in a six-month trial. In contrast, just eight warnings were issued under the PSPO in the past three years and no £100 fixed penalty notices were issued.

The South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership says the CPW pilot had “a significant impact” on tackling anti-social behaviour. Police worked with trading standards, housing associations, the RSPCA and social care and mental health providers and said a co-ordinated approach tackled problems faster and prevented them escalating, avoiding a more complicated process of issuing formal orders.

It had also increased knowledge-sharing on how to combat problems across the district. Teignbridge District Council leader Martin Wrigley said getting rid of the PSPO, which councillors had “reluctantly” agreed to in 2021, was no bad thing.

“PSPOs are specific to places and in Teignmouth it just pushes the problem somewhere else outside the zone. It’s not that effective. CPWs focus on people and it is usually only a minority of people who are causing the problems.”

It will be interesting to see if this more targeted approach will have lasting effects in reducing anti-social behaviour and whether other towns plagued by low level crime, like Torquay and Paignton, might adopt this approach in future.

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