Cllr Aicha Less

NEW powers could be given to issue on-the-spot fines for street crimes ranging from drug taking to swearing.

The Labour-run city council is proposing expanding the use of Public Space Protection Orders across “the whole city” for the first time.

PSPOs are the latest incarnation of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders – Asbos – that were abandoned after being judged to be bureaucratic, ineffective for repeat offenders, and disproportionately affecting working-class minority groups.

Civil liberties groups have criticised the unregulated powers saying they allow councils to create their own laws with minimal checks and balances.

They have also been said to represent a shift in policy from support to punishment, often introduced for populist reasons.

With the council elections looming in May, Westminster City Council has launched a consultation following what it says was a successful trial of the orders around Victoria that began last year.

Councillor Aicha Less, cabinet member for children and public protection, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe and respected where they live.

“We’re taking decisive action to tackle the behaviours that blight our communities.

“By expanding our Public Spaces Protection Orders and investing in new technology like enhanced CCTV, we can give our enforcement teams the powers they need to act swiftly and effectively.”

The city council said it wanted people to respond to proposals that include extending the PSPOs into crime hotspots or extending to cross the whole borough.

It added that it had invested £3million in funding nine police officers to work alongside the council.

Breaking the conditions of a PSPO is a criminal offence and can result in an on-the-spot fine of £100 or prosecution.

Conservative group leader on the council, Paul Swaddle, said: “It won’t make a difference without enforcement.

“At the last council meeting they announced they were fining dockless bike operators, and talked of £1million potential income.

“But around £5,000 worth of fines were issued over a couple of months, and half have not been paid. It’s all a pre-election puff after four years of failure.”

The council’s consultation is open until January 21.