HRA Agenda item for PACT Meeting, Monday 9 September at 6.30pm, Highfield Church Centre

‘How to prevent anti-social behaviour on Portswood Broadway’

Background:

At the last HRA Committee Meeting on 9 July 2024, the following report on ASB in Portswood Broadway was presented by the Co-ordinator of the HRA WhatsApp Crime Information Sharing WhatsApp Group:

anti-social behaviour by ‘locals’ has taken a turn for the worse. Previously the street drinkers tended to keep themselves to themselves, now they have become more intrusive

a fight between street drinkers spilled over into Coffee#1 on Saturday 29/06/24 daytime (police attended)

homeless street drinkers sunbathing on the street

derogatory comments being shouted at passing women (reported to the police)

clear side-effects of drug-taking on display

a person (known to a representative in the WhatsApp Group) received threatening behaviour (verbal threats) from a street drinker who sat behind their car preventing them from moving it. They called 999 but there was no ETA as no police were available at the time. They eventually resolved the situation themselves

a street drinker approached a person in a wheelchair (known to a representative in the WhatsApp Group) asking for kisses. The person in the wheelchair felt very vulnerable (reported to the police)

Since the above report on 9 July, the following incidents have has been reported in the WhatsApp Group:

A HRA member noticed 4 or 5 men were sitting on the steps of October Books bookshop drinking (open cans of drink were seen) and messing around.  When the HRA member returned an hour or so later, they were still there, making more noise and playing very loud music on a portable radio. One of the men urinated against a wall in the adjacent alley and he shouted something along the lines of: “haven’t you seen a man taking a p… before.”

Members of the WhatsApp Group have become aware that some street attached/street drinkers, who appear to be familiar faces in Portswood Broadway, are moving up to the Brookvale Road and Westwood Road junction, and Highfield Lane

It was reported in the WhatsApp Group that there is increasing anti-social behaviour in the Portswood Residents’ Gardens Meadow – mainly drinkers using offensive language

There was also an incident in June where a street drinker occupied the bench at the corner of Cranford Way/Highfield Lane for a few days until he was moved on or moved away

Following this report, HRA Chair, Prof Roger Brown and Nadine Johnson, HRA WhatsApp Coordinator, held a meeting with Councillor Finn and representatives from the City Council Community Safety Team (Garry Clark) and the police (PC Ben Pollicott).  The result was the identification of a clear process for reporting anti-social behaviour.

To progress this, HRA feels it would be beneficial if all of the different groups with authority/responsibility regarding anti-social behaviour, could provide a clear process so that ASB could be prevented.  HRA would then be in a position to advise members who are concerned.

ASB is an important issue given that plans are well in advance to create a Bus-gate on the Broadway and encourage greater public use of the locality.