POLICE are to ask councillors to consult on a policy to tackle late-night opening hours and street drinking.
On Monday, proposals for a cumulative impact policy (CIP) will be brought before the licensing committee to cover the areas of Broadgreen, Old Town and the town centre.
Not a blanket ban on new venues, the scheme would more rigorously assess new applications for pubs, clubs and off-licences in areas where their presence has been seen to contribute to crime hotspots.
In Broadgreen, groups of street drinkers are a constant nuisance as a result of the high concentration of off-licences.
Police also say that late-night opening hours and cheap drinks deals are making their task impossible on a Friday and Saturday night in Old Town.
Sian Kalynka, licensing officer for Wiltshire Police, said: “Old Town has seen a rise in custom over the last three years and is now the busier of the two night-time economy areas.
“Crowds gather together from the various premises which leads to incidents of disorder and anti-social behaviour. The weight of numbers often makes it impossible for police to robustly deal with individuals who in other circumstances would face arrest.
“Within the area of Broadgreen there are 13 off licences operating, with one serving alcohol 24 hours a day.
“While many of the main street drinkers have ASBOs banning them from consuming alcohol in the borough of Swindon, new groups of individuals are congregating in the area.”
The force will use the example of Thames Valley Police, who have a number of cumulative impact zones, to support their application.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: "The common theme in each area is a persistent reduction in crime since the policies have been in place.
“In Oxford we have seen a decrease in violent crime, but there has also been a noticeable change in the physicality of the area. George Street, once featured in the Daily Mail labelled as ‘vomit alley’ and one of the club strips now features more high-end restaurants and is a more pleasant place to walk down at night.”
Above - alcohol-related crime hotspots in the town centre last year
Insp Paul Saunders, of the town centre neighbourhood policing team, said the policy would help encourage more diversity within the town centre, in a similar vein to the Regent Circus development.
“The creation of a cumulative impact policy would increase goodwill and foster improved relationships between the police and current traders within the night time economy,” he said.
“It would be particularly beneficial to Broadgreen, in which the residents have suffered ASB relating to street drinkers for a long period of time.”
Police regularly use sec35 powers to impose 48 hour dispersal orders in the town centre, and on an ordinary Saturday night, between five and 10 people are made to leave.
“Although current legislation allows police to deal with individual premises, it does not allow for the larger problem of having a high concentration of premises in a small area,” added Insp Saunders.
“Dedicating officers can prove resource intensive at times of peak demand. The most significant issue and impact is the lateness of closing times. It is not uncommon for officers to still be attending incidents at 6.30am in broad daylight.
“I would like to stress that the intention of the police is not to stifle or discourage growth or regeneration, but to give the panel the power to help shape Swindon in the way the local authority want it to be developed.”
The policy will be considered at the planning committee meeting at 5.30pm on Monday evening in the Civic Offices.
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