Sittingbourne town centre has become a more comfortable place to be after the alcohol control zone has been in place for a year – Nicola Forman reports

Swale Community Safety Partnership has hailed the scheme a success and says although no-one has been arrested for failing to comply with the restrictions, the town has seen has drop in alcohol-related crime.

The control zone was launched on August 1, 2008. Its aim was to create a zone in which the police have powers to confiscate alcohol

from people drinking in a public place where nuisance or annoyance was being caused.

The order makes it an arrestable offence, punishable by a fixed-penalty notice, for people who fail to comply with a police officer’s request to surrender alcohol. It does not make it an offence to drink alcohol in the town centre for law-abiding citizens.

The council’s community safety officer Charlotte Hudson, said: “At the time we said it is vital that all visitors, residents and businesses are able to enjoy the benefits of a vibrant town centre without having to endure the disorder or behaviour of people who due to alcohol are the worse for wear.

“This new initiative has ensured that this is the case. Its success has led to two more zones being launched in Leysdown and Sheerness and we hope one more will soon be launched in Faversham.”

Success

Sittingbourne town beat officer and acting sergeant for the Sittingbourne Neighbourhood Team, Jason Hedges also hailed the scheme a success.

He has been a beat officer in Sittingbourne for six years and was used to dealing with drink-related anti-social behaviour before the zone was introduced.

He said: “We used to have a lot of people congregating in public areas like the churchyard or on the benches in the High Street and the public would complain because they often felt intimidated,” he said.

“The law didn’t allow us to take any action unless people were drunk, incapable or disorderly.

Unopened

“Now we have the power to seize open or unopened containers

of alcohol from people drinking within the zone. We also have the discretion to decide whether or not that is an appropriate course of action.

“It’s not an alcohol ban, it’s an opportunity for early intervention to stop alcohol crime.”

Sgt Hedges said complaints of drinkers congregating and associated problems were significantly down on a year ago.

“We do still get reports of people drinking but we can now deal with them instantaneously.

“Recently I spoke to four men sitting on a bench in Roman Square who between them had 16 litres of cider, which they were drinking. I was able to explain to them that they could either leave and take their alcohol with them or I would seize it. They went home.

“There has been a more comfortable atmosphere in the town since the zone was introduced and

most of the drinkers are quite receptive towards it. If people refuse to hand over their alcohol or leave the zone we can issue them with a fixed penalty notice or arrest them but no-one in Sittingbourne has ever been arrested as far as I am aware.”

The restriction on public drinking does not apply to any premises or area covered by a permanent or occasional license that allows the consumption or sale of alcohol – for example public houses, clubs, cafes or restaurants.