Offenders can be fined up to £100 on the spot, and more than 2,500 penalties for a range of antisocial offences have been handed out since March 2022, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

A ban on aggressive begging and urinating in public across Waltham Forest is set to be extended by three years.

A borough-wide public space protection order (PSPO) was first introduced in 2022 to crack down on antisocial behaviour.

Offenders can be fined up to £100 on the spot, and more than 2,500 penalties have been handed out since March 2022.

It makes it a specific criminal offence to not stop drinking alcohol when ordered to by a police officer; spit, defecate or urinate in the street; beg in an “aggressive or intimidating” manner; and be verbally abusive or “behaving in a way to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others”.

The order also introduced two traffic-related offences.

Gangs of three or more moped riders are also prohibited from congregating or driving in a way that causes “harassment, alarm, distress or annoyance,” while all motorists are forbidden from parking on the zig-zag lines outside schools.

Street drinking has been the worst antisocial offence, accounting for 344 charges.

Extending the PSPO from 5th September has been supported by the Metropolitan Police, with the neighbourhood policing team saying: “The PSPO will continue to assist officers dealing with offenders and continue with ongoing work to keep the borough of Waltham Forest a pleasant place to live, work and visit.

“This positive work will continue to help the community feel supported and build trust.”

The force did not recommend any changes.

Residents have also backed the renewal. They told Waltham Forest Council in May they were generally “very supportive” but felt enforcement of the new rules had been “insufficient”.

One local said in response to a survey: “Make it tougher. Residents have had enough of their communities being ruined by a minority of people who increasingly seem to be getting away with criminal behaviour.

“There are no consequences for bad or criminal behaviour anymore.”

Others said officers needed to focus on specific areas such as High Street, Markhouse Road and Hoe Street, which are often “trashed” and “loud”.

Waltham Forest previously warned that if the PSPO is not extended, it could lead to an increase in crime and antisocial behaviour.

A formal decision will be made next week.

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