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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.
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