Our community turned out in high numbers on Monday evening to hear senior Council Officers Michael Lawther and Jamie Paterson explain the Council's position on the 'perceived' ASB issues in Hardway public spaces. Councillors Hook, Allen and Furlong together with County Councillor Chegwyn were also in attendance.
Attendees were disappointed to hear that Hampshire Police had not supported the case for a PSPO at Hardway, as they did not believe there was a need for one, and were proposing to use the same solutions that the community believe failed to resolve problems in 2017.
There was understandably a lot of frustration and anger in the room about the lack of support from Hampshire Police. Those present listened to the personal experiences of a number of residents and attendees and this combined with the surveys returned to the council provided very strong evidence of the community impact. It was clear to everyone present that an effective action plan was needed for 2018 in relation to Hardway public spaces.
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides a broad legal framework within which PSPOs can be implemented - Closing the meeting Michael Lawther told those present that the criteria for a PSPO for Hardway public space had been met.
This is fantastic news for our community and means that this will now progress to the next stage of review and approval.
Thank you everyone who completed surveys, turned up on the evening, and to those who have been so supportive of this campaign but were unable to attend in person.
We will continue to keep you all updated on progress via this blog once we receive new information.