More than 2,200 breaches of order designed to tackle anti-social behaviour in Sheffield
It's six months since a public space protection order covering much of the city centre was brought in
The public space protection order for Sheffield city centre has been breached more than 2,200 times in its first six months of operation.
The figure for July was 631, making it the highest number since Sheffield City Council introduced the public space protection order (PSPO) on April 7, 2025. The PSPO covers the entire city centre and restricts drinking in an anti-social manner, aggressive begging, loitering, drug use and public urination or defecation.
Anyone caught breaching the PSPO can be issued with a £100 fixed penalty notice or face prosecution. They can also be ordered out of the area by police, council sustainable communities officers who are part of an anti-social behaviour team or City Centre Ambassadors.
Out of the 2,286 recorded breaches, 1,016 were for loitering, 681 were for begging, 327 for alcohol, 241 for drugs and 21 for urination/defecation.
The figures will be discussed next Monday (November 3) by the council’s communities, parks and leisure policy committee.
A report to the committee says: “Since the PSPO came into force, advice and support has been given on 541 occasions, 827 occasions where people have been asked to leave the PSPO area.
“Confiscation of alcohol and drugs have taken place on 136 and 31 occasions respectively.
“A total of 227 Notices of Intended Action (NIA) have been issued to 125 individuals. To date, there have been no fixed penalty notices (FPN) issued.”
There have been 72 referrals to harm reduction meetings and nine cases are being prepared for prosecution.
A survey sent to organisations in the city centre was only completed 11 times. In total, 54.5% said they suported the PSPO before it was introduced and 40% said problems had reduced a bit, 10% said they had reduced a lot, 20% said they had increased a bit, 10% said increased a lot and 20% didn’t know.
Some respondents thought it had improved the feel of the area and other believed that problems had moved to places just outside the PSPO zone, such as the University of Sheffield campus.
Others thought it hadn’t deterred aggressive begging.
Sheffield Business Improvement District (BID) reported: “Sheffield BID has observed several positive outcomes from the implementation of the PSPO,
particularly in terms of improving the city centre’s atmosphere and reducing visible anti-social behaviour. The increased visibility of patrols has been welcomed by businesses, contributing to a greater sense of safety and reassurance for staff and visitors.
“However, there are concerns that the deterrent effect of the PSPO is being undermined by a lack of enforcement. Where enforcement is lacking, the behaviours the PSPO seeks to address are beginning to re-emerge, which risks diminishing its overall effectiveness.
“Additionally, while the PSPO has helped reduce certain issues in key areas, it has also led to the displacement of problematic behaviours – such as drug use – to peripheral locations including public car parks. This shift presents new challenges for businesses operating in those areas and highlights the need for a more coordinated city-wide approach.”
Support for vulnerable individuals includes the harm reduction meetings which aim to pull together a package of support and care plans.
A Sheffield Recovery Van, which provides support to vulnerable people, has added a weekly session at Sheffield Station to the existing session outside Sheffield Cathedral.
The committee report says: “Overall, the first six months of the PSPO seem to have been a success and have resulted in the city feeling safer. This is reflected in the increased support for the PSPO compared to before it was implemented.
“However, longer-term impacts will need more time to become evident. Officers will need to adapt how the PSPO is policed and enforced to ensure lessons learned during this period result in further enhancing the city centre for everyone.”