Anti-social behaviour crackdown in Devon towns

An order to tackle alcohol related anti-social behaviour has been introduced in two Devon towns.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) had been introduced at Okehampton and Tavistock by West Devon Borough Council.

The force said the orders allowed officers to disperse people causing a nuisance or disorder, and would also give them the power to remove alcohol from people drinking on the streets.

Sgt Thomas Ottley, neighbourhood policing sergeant for west Devon, said anti-social behaviour was an "outstanding issue" for the community.

The force said there had been 104 anti-social behaviour incidents in Tavistock between April 2023 and March 2024, 66 fewer than between April 2019 and March 2020.

Sgt Ottley said previous PSPOs, which only covered The Meadows, drove drinking and anti-social behaviour further into the town.

"We conducted some consultation with the public, last summer we put out lots of surveys asking what issues were impacting them, where they lived, where they worked," he said.

"Anti-social behaviour was by far the outstanding issue for everyone."

He said the new order was town-wide and would enable officers to be consistent in tackling anti-social behaviour.

"Street drinking was an issue, we targeted the individuals that were perpetrating that," he said,

"This is a preventative measure, this isn't in response to a wave of crime.

"This is a generalised response to what people in the community are concerned about, and future-proofing and keeping it a nice town, and Okehampton of course."

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