A COUNCIL is considering giving police officers and police community support officers extra enforcement powers to deal with anti-social behaviour.

Newport City Council will decide whether to implement a public space protection order (PSPO) in the Pill area of the city at its meeting later this month.

This move comes after a detailed review by the council's scrutiny committee and a thorough public consultation.

The PSPO is intended to prevent individuals or groups committing specific acts of anti-social behaviour in public places where they cause a nuisance to the local community and disturb local people’s quality of life.

Councillors will be asked to formally agree to adopt the order at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday, July 25. The PSPO will provide police officers and police community support officers with additional criminal enforcement powers to deal with specific incidents of anti-social behaviour in Pill.

The council implemented a PSPO in November 2015 in the city centre area of Newport, at the request of Gwent Police, and this has already produced positive changes.

A report was presented to council members by PC Paula Spence in October 2016 which said the area was experiencing "inordinate increases" in violence-related crime and has "an increasing drugs problem".

A breach of the order can be dealt with by issuing a fixed penalty notice of up to £100 or a fine of up to £1,000 on prosecution through the courts.

Three potential control measures being considered for the Pill PSPO include a ban on drinking alcohol in public, which replicates the existing ban in the city centre.

This will mean police officers and PCSOs will be empowered to stop people drinking alcohol and require them to hand over any bottles and cans to prevent public nuisance or disorder.

Another measure is a power for police officers and PCSOs to disperse groups of three or more persons if they are causing trouble. The third is a ban on any person having in their possession, selling or supplying any other intoxicating substance such as legal highs.

Councillor Ray Truman, cabinet member for licensing and regulation, said he hoped colleagues will support the PSPO for the Pill area of the city.

He added: “We know we have the support of Gwent Police and ward councillors for this order to be implemented. Once agreed it will benefit the neighbourhood of Pillgwenlly and residents will feel more secure knowing that the police can disperse gangs of people and confiscate alcohol if necessary.

“The city centre PSPO has been a success and we hope this will be repeated in Pillgwenlly,” said Cllr Truman.

Gwent Police Inspector Paul Davies who is the lead for the Pill neighbourhood policing team, said: “This order is one of a range of measures that can be used to educate and, if necessary, prosecute the minority of persons who cause offence. We know that these PSPOs have had successful results in other areas of Newport and wider Gwent and we’re committed to working together to produce the same results in Pill.”