Designated Public Places Order

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Designated Public Place Orders (DPPOs) are often given more self-explanatory names such as 'Alcohol Control Areas (London Borough of Southwark) or Controlled Drinking Areas (London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham) by the designating local authority. They are implemented by local councils in order to address alcohol-related crime and disorder in public places. DPPOs allow police or authorised officers (such as a Park Warden) to confiscate alcohol in public places, or require a person to stop drinking. Failure to comply can result in arrest and/or a fine of up to £500.

An increasing number of local authorities have implemented DPPOs since the Police and Criminal Justice, Act 2001 gave councils the power to do so where they were satisfied that areas were suffering from alcohol-related crime and disorder. Typically the powers are used against street drinkers, who tend to drink habitually in public places. Often such street drinkers are vulnerable individuals with complex problems such as chronic alcohol dependence, mental health problems and a history of homlessness. However, contrary to public perception, most street drinkers are housed but prefer to drink outside in social groups. However this often causes community tensions as street drinking itself is definable as Anti-Social Behaviour, commonly being associated with littering, public urination and noise disturbances. A common impact of enforcement of DPPO powers is displacement of street drinking to nearby areas.^{[citation needed]}

A number of local authorities have used DPPOs to successfully reduce alcohol related ASB, but have stressed that DPPOs are not the solution to these problems but a useful tool to help address them. Some criticism has been leveled at the discrimantory element of the legislation (for instance should picnickers be allowed to drink openly in a park where street drinkers are?) but genereally an officers' discretion is considered sufficient to take appropriate action or not. Some reportd from police have also indicated the powers can be useful for addressing ASB related to the Night Time Economy and problems from licenced premises.