Anti-social behaviour in Portswood Broadway and Portswood Bus-gate key performance indicator 8 (extract from E-news April 2025, 18/04/25)

At the end of the 6-month Trial the success of this indicator is to be measured by:

A reduction in anti-social behaviour (ASB)

A reduction in public order offences

A reduction in shoplifting

Reports presented to the HRA Committee last week highlighted an increase in both ASB and Public Order Offences. No Shoplifting data was available. However, the police stated that 143 crimes had been reported in Portswood Ward in January, a 10% decrease from December 2024. They said it was always important to report all crimes and ASB.

There has been a noticeable increase in ASB in Portswood reported to HRA including: increase in street drinking groups of up to 5/6; some evidence of drug-related behaviour; shouting at passers-by; intimidating behaviour. Why should people have to walk to the next bus stop, call the police or cross the road to avoid a bad/frightening experience? If this continues it will push law abiding communities out of Portswood as it will not be a place where people will want to visit or shop. The situation has now escalated from co-existing ‘peacefully’ with the homeless to ASB and potential violence.

HRA has been advised by the Police that obstructions on the pavement like armchairs can be reported as Fly-tipping: Report fly-tipping SCC

However, these larger items of on-street furniture, as shown in the photograph below, cannot be reported as fly-tipping and cannot be removed by Community Safety, as they are on private land (e.g. the doorway of the old Iceland store)

At a recent Police and Community (PACT) meeting held on 24 March, Francesca Prior, SCC Community Safety Manager, confirmed that the Public Spaces Protection Orders in Portswood and throughout the city would expire on 29 April 2025 and had not been renewed. She is reported to have told the meeting that, “It [the PSPO renewal process] was in hand but an extension will take a long time as there are certain processes to go through – a report has to be compiled and then that goes to court. It’s a big piece of work and not a quick fix, so the PSPO will lapse when it expires on 29/04/25 right across Southampton.”

In view of these reports, the March HRA Committee Meeting agreed that Prof. Roger Brown, Chair of HRA, should write to both the police, Inspector Maidment and the Council, Councillor Lambert, Cabinet Member for Communities and Safer City, to ask those authorities how they plan to tackle these growing problems.

It is hoped that replies will be received in time for the next HRA Committee Meeting on 13 May.

Reporting Anti-social Behaviour in Portswood – HRA statement April 2025

The following reflects HRA’s understanding of the position following a meeting with police and City Council representatives on 24 March 2025. Based on information collected by the HRA Crime Information Sharing WhatsApp Group between February and April 2025, there appeared to have been a recent increase in various forms of ASB in Portswood, especially in the Broadway and nearby streets. Behaviour reported in the WhatsApp Group ranged from on-street drinking and aggressive attitudes to more serious instances of physical violence and drug use. Such behaviour was becoming more intrusive. The authorities – the police and the City Council’s Community Safety Group (CSG) – are aware of this and urge people to continue to report all incidents to them so that they can be dealt with appropriately and patterns in behaviour or crimes would be logged.

What to do:

Less serious cases – particularly of street drinking, carrying an open can/bottle of alcohol and drug paraphernalia (for example, needles) left on the street – should be reported to the Council’s Community Safety Group on-line or by phone 07796278434, or by email: Community.safety@southampton.gov.uk

Regrettably these contacts are only effective in terms of timing in normal hours during the working week as Community Wardens do not work in the evenings or at weekends. Any incidents occurring outside of these hours should be reported to the police (see below).

More serious behaviours – always use 999 to report an emergency, for violent or serious incidents or risk to life.

Behaviour including any drug use on display or incidents of aggressive or criminal behaviour, should be reported to the police, preferably in person, to the Police Station in St Denys Road (open Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm), by phone to 101 or on-line:  https://www.hampshire.police.uk/

To make an anonymous report on-line, phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit:
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously

In cases of doubt, both sets of authorities should be contacted. HRA will continue to monitor the position and liaise with the Council and the police.
https://www.highfieldresidents.org.uk/reporting-crime-anti-social-bahaviour-suspicious-incidents/
Incident Log Brookvale Road

An HRA member and representative on the HRA Crime Info Sharing WhatsApp Group is maintaining a Log of Incidents in and around Brookvale Road that is being shared with the Police. All categories showed an increase from March except Littering and Emergency Services, which remained the same.