--- title: "Surrey Street Standards" type: "pdf" year: "2003" canonical: "/projects/1212" --- # SURREY STREET STANDARDS TACKLING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR SURREY POLICE, UNITED KINGDOM, 2003 | THE PROBLEM: | West Surrey Division consists of two affluent Boroughs whose residents have a notably high fear of crime. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of public houses in Guildford Town Centre increased by $57 \%$. Whilst priority crimes such as burglary and auto crime continued to fall, violent crime and incidents of disorder increased. The Fear of Crime Survey in 1998 identified that $14 \%$ of residents avoided Guildford Town Centre. By March 2001 this had increased to $27 \%$. Drunkenness and loutish behaviour were identified as the triggers that influenced their fears. | | :--: | :--: | | ANALYSIS: | A consultation exercise with 400 Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators had already identified five behaviours of young people, which caused the residents the greatest distress. We recognised that any successful intervention needed to tackle the behavioural traits of young people before they became affected by alcohol. | | RESPONSE: | The response was to introduce a "standard of behaviour" imposed by a yellow/red card warning system similar to that used on the football field to target 18 to 24 year old males. Surrey Street Standards was launched in June 2002 in Guildford and Staines Town Centres. It addresses five key areas: using obscene language, throwing of a missile, obstruction of the highway, Section 5 of the Public Order Act (causing alarm and distress) and urinating in the street. Individuals who commit one of these offences are warned and issued with a yellow card. Should they re-offend the same evening, they are shown a red card and reported for summons. | | ASSESSMENT: | Surrey Street Standards has reduced Crime and Disorder by 30\%. 214 offenders have been warned for anti-social behaviour and issued with yellow cards. Only 5 have subsequently come to the notice of Surrey Police. The number of arrests has reduced by $38 \%$ and the response from the public has been overwhelming. | # Table of Contents - [SURREY STREET STANDARDS TACKLING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR](#surrey-street-standards-tackling-anti-social-behaviour) - [INTRODUCTION](#introduction) - [RESPONSE](#response) - [ASSESSMENT](#assessment) - [Reduction in Crime and Disorder Levels](#reduction-in-crime-and-disorder-levels) - [Reduction in the Number of Arrests](#reduction-in-the-number-of-arrests) - [Reduction in Anti-Social behaviour](#reduction-in-anti-social-behaviour) - [CONCLUSION](#conclusion) - [FOR MORE INFORMATION](#for-more-information) - [Appendices](#appendices) - [02720 Surrey Street Standards Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour](#02720-surrey-street-standards-tackling-anti-social-behaviour) - [Surrey Street Standards](#surrey-street-standards) - [Appendix 2](#appendix-2) - [Surrey Street Standards](#surrey-street-standards) - [Where you spend your night is up to](#where-you-spend-your-night-is-up-to) - [you](#you) - [POUCE](#pouce) - [POUCE](#pouce) - [POUCE](#pouce) - [POUCE](#pouce) - [Where you spend your](#where-you-spend-your) - [night is up to you](#night-is-up-to-you) - [Surrey Street Standards - Tackling anti-social behaviour](#surrey-street-standards-tackling-anti-social-behaviour) - [Drinkers will be `sent off for-not behaving](#drinkers-will-be-sent-off-for-not-behaving) - [New initiative means that punishing](#new-initiative-means-that-punishing) - [I anti-social behaviour is on the cards](#i-anti-social-behaviour-is-on-the-cards) - [Red card scheme hailed](#red-card-scheme-hailed) - [a massive success in town](#a-massive-success-in-town) ## INTRODUCTION West Surrey Division is one of four Territorial Divisions within the County of Surrey. It consists of two affluent Boroughs whose residents have a notably high fear of crime. Guildford is the county town of Surrey. It is the administrative centre for the county and a regional centre for business, education, shopping, culture and leisure. It is home to the Government Office for the South East (GOSE), University for Industry and English Heritage. 126,000 people live within the Borough of Guildford. The town centre is dominated by alcohol-associated leisure, hosting a variety of bars and clubs. It has a widespread reputation for being the major centre of social activity reaching far beyond Surrey. SCANNING In 1995 Guildford Town Centre was home to 733 premises, of which 14 were hotels/public houses and 39 restaurants/cafes. By 2001 the town centre had increased to 22 hotels/public houses (an increase of 57%) and 58 restaurants / cafes (an increase of 49%). In the same period, whilst crime overall had been falling, with considerable reductions in burglary dwelling and auto crime, violent crime continued to rise. Between September 1999 and September 2000, national figures show that violent crime rose by 8%. In Surrey it rose by 11% but in Guildford Town Centre it rose by 17%. From April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001, the Surrey Police Crime Information System recorded 1226 violent offences in Guildford Borough. 454 of these offences, which represent 37% of the division's violence, took place in Guildford Town Centre. The previous year, town centre violence accounted for 32% of the division's violent crime. During this same period 205 disorder offences took place in Guildford, of which 121 took place in Guildford Town Centre (59%). These figures do not include drunk and disorderly offences. The rise was extremely alarming. The Fear of Crime Survey, conducted in 1998, identified that 14% of residents avoided Guildford Town Centre. An identical survey carried out in March 2001 revealed that this figure had increased at night to 27%. Those surveyed stated that drunkenness and loutish behaviour were the triggers that influenced their high fear of crime. ANALYSIS Analysis confirmed that there were certain locations, which were “hotspots” for violent crime and disorder. This is depicted in a crime analysis map of Guildford Town Centre as detailed overleaf. The hotspots are predominantly in the town centre and largely due to the presence of 3 town centre nightclubs that collectively account for 6% of the borough's total violence. This factor was further aggravated by the close proximity of 7 late night drinking bars. It was evident that disorder and anti-social behaviour was confined to a small area around Bridge Street in Guildford Town Centre. ![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-0.jpeg) Peak times for disorder were identified as being between 11pm and 12pm on Friday and Saturday nights. The offenders profile was that of an 18 to 24 year old, (predominantly male). Surrey Police acknowledged the severity of the problem and responded by developing a multi-agency Town Centre Violence Strategy involving a number of key players. The strategy directly contributed to the Safer Guildford Community Safety Strategy 1999-2002, which amongst other objectives specifically sought to make Guildford Town Centre a safer place. The strategy was launched in September 2001 and achieved impressive reductions in the recorded levels of injury assaults in the first six months. By March 2002 an overall reduction of 33% in assaults had been achieved. Despite this, the public's perception remained unchanged. Bridge Street, the home to seven late night bars remained a concern. Local publicity intimated that the police were still struggling to tackle the problem. A clear gap was developing between the public's perception of the risk of crime and the actual likelihood of suffering crime. Ironically, at the same time the public's sense of insecurity had grown in importance for the Home Office. Reassuring the public was becoming a key priority for the police and public surveys were indicating that people wanted the police to tackle low-level physical and social disorders that affected their quality of life. Preparation for the Guildford Community Safety Strategy 2002-2005 had already identified the need for more tactical interventions to further reduce injury assaults and disorder. It is widely understood that alcohol is a significant contributory factor in most outbreaks of disorder and anti-social behaviour. This reinforced the concept that any successful intervention would have to influence the "mindset" of our target group and tackle their behavioural traits before they became affected by alcohol. Research shows that minor misdemeanours will invariably lead to more serious matters if unchallenged. Therefore, addressing behaviours at a stage when they may almost be described as "trivial" could prevent them from escalating. To achieve this we had to be in a position to respond to any outbreaks of "rowdyism" and abusive language at a point when we would not previously have intervened. It seemed highly appropriate at this stage to further engage with the community and seek their views. To achieve this we conducted a borough-wide consultation exercise with 400 Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators across Guildford Borough. By means of a questionnaire they were asked what were the ten behaviours displayed by young people that they found the most unacceptable and which contributed to their "fear of crime." This had the dual effect of gaining their confidence whilst involving them in any potential solution. The results are listed in the order they found the behaviours unacceptable: - Criminal Damage - Fighting in the street - Urinating in the street - Rowdy behaviour - Swearing - Litter - Drinking in the street - Blocking the road - Drinking in a public place - Graffiti The results of the questionnaire combined with the community's comments left us with little doubt as to an alternative and unique way forward. ## RESPONSE Any response to this escalating problem needed to be simple, easily understood and relevant to our target group. Coincidentally the "World Cup" was soon to be televised which gave us the inspiration for this initiative. This was to introduce a "standard of behaviour" imposed by a yellow/red card warning system similar to that used on the football field. We had already established that our main offenders were predominantly young males, aged between 18 and 24 years. This approach was simple, innovative and one they would understand. The scheme would address the offences highlighted in the Neighbourhood Watch Survey as well as demonstrating to the residents of Guildford that we were taking positive action to tackle antisocial behaviour. There were a number of other factors that influenced our strategy. Surrey Police has a particularly young workforce with a high proportion of probationary constables. Understandably, there is a noticeable lack of experience when dealing with confrontational situations. This method of intervention would enable a more "tactical" approach for officers to confront offenders as well as building their confidence and developing their policing skills. The initial stages of the project involved lengthy consultation with local partners, stakeholders and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partners. Their response was overwhelmingly positive. They recognised we were introducing an innovative and unique scheme to Surrey that did not exist anywhere in the country. The project involved months of consultation work with the Head of the Crown Prosecution Service and the Force Legal Services to research and confirm the offences, which were to form part of the scheme. A process which sounds relatively straightforward, however, some of the offences that we wanted to address had never previously been enforced in Surrey and the evidential requirements had to be clearly understood by both police officers and the Crown Prosecution Service alike. The scheme was initially intended to address five key areas. The offences chosen were amongst those which the community had stated, caused them the most distress and were in their view "unacceptable" behaviours: - Using Obscene/Profane Language in the Street - Town and Police Clauses Act 1847 - Throwing of a Missile/Rubbish in the Street - Town and Police Clauses Act 1847 - Wilful Obstruction of the Highway Section 137 of the Highways Act 1980 - Causing Alarm and Distress - Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 - Urinating in the Street (causing damage) - Criminal Damage Act 1971 Prior to implementation, I personally conducted a number of presentations to the Police Authority, local Magistrates and police officers at West Surrey Division. Another key element of success would be the manner in which officers promoted the scheme to the public. We needed to ensure they had a clear understanding of its purpose, objectives and our ability to obtain Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO's). It was imperative that each officer understood how evidence would be collated via the database against repeat offenders and that they could subsequently be banned from visiting any town centre in Surrey. This was an extremely powerful message that needed to be constantly reinforced. The initiative was named "Surrey Street Standards." The aim of Surrey Street Standards is to introduce a "standard of behaviour" acceptable to the community. The scheme has three objectives: - To reduce incidents of lower level crime/anti-social behaviour and to reduce the fear of crime in Guildford Town Centre by providing visible reassurance. - To increase officers' confidence in dealing with anti-social behaviour - To provide a mechanism to gather evidence against repeat offenders for furtherance of Acceptable Behaviour Contracts and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. Addressing two tiers of behaviour enforces the scheme. The first tier specifies the behaviour for which the offender will be warned and issued with a yellow card. The second tier is implemented when an offender has committed a second offence during the same evening, which would then result in the offender's immediate arrest or summons. If an offender is to be reported for summons for an offence, a red warning card is produced from which the reporting officer reads the caution and reports the individual for summons. This approach demonstrates flexibility on behalf of Surrey Police by giving a warning upon first commission of an offence rather than reporting for summons. Whilst the issue of a summons is discretionary the long-term aim of the scheme is to educate young people to behave in an acceptable manner. How does the scheme operate? ![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-1.jpeg) For the scheme to be effective it needed to be rigorously enforced and monitored by police. Our resourcing capability was considered along with the cost of policing and management of the scheme. Police officers in Surrey work a variable shift rotation. Between the hours of 10:00pm and 2:00am there is an overlap period with additional police resources available to be tasked. The town centre has a 24 -hour CCTV System. This enables live monitoring of the Surrey Street Standards database by CCTV staff, coupled with the ability to obtain photographic evidence of the offence being committed. The scheme was to initially operate between the hours of 9:00pm and 4:00am on Friday and Saturday nights in Guildford Town Centre. Officers are directed to identified "hotspots" to prevent random patrolling. This more focused, intelligence led approach, ensures we provide visible reassurance in those areas causing greatest concern. Surrey Street Standards was launched in Guildford Town Centre on 28th June 2002 supported by a powerful media strategy. Posters, tent cards and flyers were extensively distributed. The design was intended to attract the attention of our target group (see Appendices 2 - 7). Local media coverage was exceptional and was complimented by a special feature of 'Surrey Street Standards' on the London Tonight programme. As part of the TV coverage a reporter randomly interviewed a group of young males about the scheme. The response of the interviewees exceeded expectations. The interviewees liked the 'gimmick approach' and said people now know where they stand. For example, they were previously unaware that it is an offence to use obscene language in public and it made them think twice about the way they were behaving. The cost of enforcing Surrey Street Standards is minimal. Although reliant upon a police presence to issue the warnings, this need is reduced over time with increased public awareness and acknowledgement of the scheme's existence. In Guildford Town Centre the scheme is enforced by up to 6 police officers, as part of their regular duty. If this were not the case, the weekly cost would amount to $£ 1,344$, comprising the cost of a police officer of approximately $£ 16.00$ per hour for 7 hours a days, 2 days a week. Additional expenses were incurred with the printing of the warning cards, posters, tent cards and flyers as well as my time in briefing external partners and officers at training days. Printing is an ongoing cost. Over the past 9 months this has amounted to $£ 2000$. At the time of the launch another Territorial Division within Surrey Police was also suffering from increasing problems with town centre violence and anti-social behaviour. The Fear of Crime Survey in Staines Town Centre, North Surrey Division, indicated that $17 \%$ of local residents avoided visiting the area at night through fear of crime. Although the demographics of Staines Town Centre differ from Guildford the analysis confirmed they were experiencing similar problems. A decision was made to replicate Surrey Street Standards in Staines Town Centre simultaneously. Not only did this provide immediate visible reassurance, it provided a second location against which to compare and evaluate the success of the scheme. ## ASSESSMENT Surrey Street Standards has proved to be a highly successful initiative and is growing from strength to strength. The reaction from local residents to the scheme both in Guildford and Staines has been tremendous and we are confident this will be reflected in the next Fear of Crime Survey to be conducted in 2004. The success of the scheme has been measured in three areas. This is excluding the Fear of Crime Survey: - Reduction in Crime and Disorder levels - Reduction in the number of arrests for injury assault/public order offences - Reduction in Anti-Social Behaviour ## Reduction in Crime and Disorder Levels In both Guildford and Staines Town Centres disorder was confined to a number of small areas, which had been identified as 'hotspots'. These provided the focus for implementation of the scheme. The Guildford scheme concentrated on the area around Bridge Street. Data gathering concentrated on 5 streets that are dominated by the nighttime economy. Likewise in Staines data gathering focused on 7 streets using the same criteria. Data was gathered from the $1^{\text {st }}$ of April 2002, 3 months before the scheme was introduced and included all offences of assault and incidents of public disorder. The number of allegations recorded on the Surrey Police Crime Information database for Guildford amounted to 217 allegations. This was compared with data up to and including January to March 2003. The data showed a steady decline in the number of allegations to 192 by March 2003. This indicates an overall reduction of $11.5 \%$. This is a significant reduction in violent crime given that the Town Centre Violence Strategy had already impacted greatly upon the number of public order incidents / injury assaults occurring within the town centre. The same criteria were applied to Staines Town Centre. Data was gathered from April to June 2002 from the seven identified "hotspots," which had been the primary focus for the scheme. The number of recorded incidents of disorder during this period amounted to 57. Again a gradual decline is evident in the amount of offences recorded up to and including the last quarter i.e. January to March 2003, which had reduced to 40 , thus achieving an overall reduction of $30 \%$. ## Reduction in the Number of Arrests The reduction in crime and disorder is further evident by the fall in the number of arrests for assault and public disorder. In Guildford the number of arrests from April 2002 to March 2003 have reduced by $17 \%$ and in Staines by $38 \%$. ## Reduction in Anti-Social behaviour To measure a reduction in this area proved slightly more problematic but has produced quite astonishing results. The first most important factor to acknowledge is that four out of the five behaviours addressed, as part of Surrey Street Standards had not previously been enforced. Consequently, there was nothing against which to benchmark the initial success of the scheme. In the longer term we are able to rely on accumulative monthly data but this in itself will continue to provide a conflicting but positive conclusion. By way of explanation, Surrey Street Standards has to be enforced by a police officer or special constable. If, for whatever reason, no officers had been patrolling on a particular evening no yellow cards would be issued. This in itself could be construed as a success factor suggesting that no offences had been committed during that period. In reality and with a scheme that requires a physical presence, these problems will regularly occur and could present misleading results. To avoid any controversy we have not considered the number of yellow cards issued as a reliable success factor. What remains indisputable and provides clear evidence of a reduction in antisocial behaviour is data from the Surrey Street Standards database. Analysis from the Guildford database reveals that since the launch of the scheme in June 2002 up until the 20th of March 2003, 123 individuals have been warned for anti-social behaviour and issued with a yellow card. No one has yet been shown a red card. Of these 123 offenders only 3 have subsequently come to the notice of police and been arrested for public order offences within the County of Surrey. Therefore 120 individuals have in some way benefited from the scheme and chosen to display an "acceptable" standard of behaviour within Guildford Town Centre. A further breakdown of the 123 offenders indicates that 75 were aged between 18 and 24 years as acknowledged and the most prevalent offence committed was "urinating in the street." This has now provided sufficient supporting evidence for the Borough Council to obtain a by-law for the offence of urinating in a public place, which they are actively pursing. In Staines Town Centre 91 offenders were issued with yellow cards between June 2002 and March 2003. Of these 91 offenders 2 individuals have subsequently come to the notice of police having committed further offences. Yet again no one has been shown a red card. 89 offenders have heeded the warning and reformed their behaviour. A further breakdown reveals that 63 of these offenders are aged between 18 and 24 years and similarly the most prevalent offence is "urinating in the street." This is closely followed by the use of obscene language. Breakdown of the Number of Offences $28^{\text {th }}$ June 2002 - $20^{\text {th }}$ March 2003 ![img-2.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-2.jpeg) In total, 214 offenders have committed summonsable offences, all of which could have been placed before a Magistrates Court. As an alternative remedy they received a warning under the Surrey Street Standards Scheme for their behaviour and with the exception of five individuals, changed their behavioural patterns. The cost of summonsing an individual to court unfortunately could not be ascertained. However, I would suggest that the use of this scheme as an alternative means of intervention has been vastly more cost effective. The second phase of this project was implemented in March 2003 and is ongoing. Surrey Police is recognised as being one of the lead Forces in the implementation of the National Intelligence Model and continues to be a driving force in relation to `Community Reassurance'. Surrey Street Standards now forms part of the fortnightly Tasking and Coordinating process across Surrey and is utilised as a "mobile"tactic. This is regularly moved between neighbourhoods to address antisocial behaviour whilst providing visible reassurance. Since March 2003, this revised model has resulted in the issue of a further 55 yellow cards throughout West Surrey Division. One individual has been shown a red card and reported for summons for the offence of using obscene language in the street. Surrey Street Standards continues to operate in Surrey's town centres at weekends. In residential neighbourhoods it is implemented 24 hours a day. Borough Administrators now manage the database and the time scales in relation to the summons have been amended. The policy now adopted in rural areas is such that having been warned; if individuals re-offend within 6 months they will be summonsed to appear at court. This has equipped Neighbourhood Specialist Officers with a practical tool for tackling anti-social behaviour on a daily basis, and has been redesigned to prevent short term re-offending. ## CONCLUSION There is little doubt that Surrey Street Standards provides an effective mechanism for reducing anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder. Policing anti-social behaviour is now a primary objective of the Government as detailed in the National Policing Plan. Feedback from police officers via training days and briefings has been extremely positive. They enjoy enforcing the scheme and it has helped younger officers to gain confidence and interact with the public in potentially hostile situations. A recent visit from Merseyside Police has resulted in the introduction of an almost identical scheme in Liverpool City Centre in February 2003. Early indications are that the scheme is proving to be a huge success. (see Appendix 8) Several other Forces have, in recent months, expressed an interest in the scheme and we anticipate that North Yorkshire, Manchester and the Metropolitan Police will be launching their own versions in due course. # FOR MORE INFORMATION Sue Warren Superintendent Surrey Police Headquarters Mount Browne Sandy Lane Guildford Surrey, GU3 I HG E-mail address: 4001@surrey.police.uk # Appendices 1. Examples of yellow warning card and red card 2. SSS Flyer - circulated to external partners and stakeholders 3. Poster - "Were you spend your night is up to you" 4. Poster - for display only in licensed premises 5. Tent card - for display in licensed premises 6. Press cuttings - Guildford 7. Press cuttings - Staines 8. Letter of thanks from Merseyside Police # 02720 Surrey Street Standards Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Behaviour: $\qquad$ Offence: $\qquad$ Date and Time: $\qquad$ Location: $\qquad$ Name: $\qquad$ Address: $\qquad$ D.O. 8 : $\qquad$ Warned by Officer (name and fin): $\qquad$ WARNING: If your behaviour continues, you will be either prosecuted by summons or arrested. ## Surrey Street Standards Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour # Appendix 2 SSS objectives are to: - introduce a Standard of behaviour ${ }^{1}$ which is acceptable to the residents of Guildford Borough - reduce incidents of lower level crime/ anti-social behaviour - reduce the fear of crime in Guildford town centre by providing visible reassurance For further information about the scheme ring 01483653002 ![img-3.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-3.jpeg) ## Surrey Street Standards an initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour What is "Surrey Street Standards"? Surrey Street Standards (555) is a Surrey Police initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour, especially within town centres. Created following extensive research within the Surrey community, which identified certain behaviours as drivers behind peoples' fear of crime, 555 forms part of Surrey Police's wider reassurance activities and its town centre violence strategy. How will $\$ 55$ work? The initiative will focus on the following five areas of anti-social behaviour. $>$ Using obscene/profane language in the street - Throwing bottles, litter, etc. $>$ Wilfully obstructing the highway $>$ Section 5 Public Order Act 1986 $>$ Urinating in the street (causing criminal damage of up to £5000) 555 will be enforced by implementation of a yellow card warning system, similar to that used on the football field. If a police officer sees someone committing one of the above offences, the offender will be asked for their name and address and issued with a yellow card. The offender's details will be put into a Police database immediately. If the suspect is stopped again within a pre-determined time scale, details are checked on the database and if previously warned, the offender could receive a court summons or be arrested. The scheme will enable early identification of repeat offenders for which Anti-Social Behaviour Orders will be obtained. The scheme will initially operate in Guildford town centre on Friday and Saturday nights from 9:00pm to 4:00am. When did 555 start? 555 began on Friday June $28^{\text {th }} 2002$. ![img-4.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-4.jpeg) Helping you have a better night ou Surrey Street Standards - Iackling anti-social behaviour ![img-5.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-5.jpeg) # Where you spend your night is up to ## you ### POUCE ### POUCE Survey Street Standards - Packing anti-social behaviour Survey Police is committed to building anti-social behaviour. We have launched the Survey Street Standards (SSS) initiative to reach users on this new information, particularly in town centres. SSS uses a football theme, police card (silenced by a red card) to warn offenders that this behaviour is not acceptable. Special behaviour is to be used as: - Using obscene or bad ground at the same time - Unwinding offside with or for the same time (or both) - Allowance (just a place or a place and - Willing to be wrong, all agree, pleading about or be likened - Adhering at the same time If you are stopped again you need to reported to the officers and receive a court statement. In some circumstances you could be arrested immediately. If your behaviour persists, consider could be collected against you to obtain a court order (anomalies from the news centre office, the officers, even consolation). ### POUCE ### POUCE Survey Street Standards - Packing anti-social behaviour # Where you spend your ## night is up to you We are tackling anti-social behaviour. You could be given a yellow warning card and could be arrested/summoused for committing one of these offences: - Using shavior or foul language in the street - Throwing objects such as bottles, cans, bins or bollards - Throwing laws - Observing a public road - Using threatening, abusive, insulting words or belastour - Occurring in the street. Helping you have a better night out. ## Surrey Street Standards - Tackling anti-social behaviour # Drinkers will be `sent off for-not behaving ![img-6.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-6.jpeg) Yours husband, Sngt Sue Warren, Debbie Leavon from Edward's and Sgt Steve Wikisombe, launchingSurrey Police's yellow card system. JUST like footballers in the World Cup, partypo- - Guildford could receive a yellow card from police if they are caught for anti-social behaviour in the town centre. The new scheme, ening behaviour or urt called 'Surrey Street Standards, was launched on Tuesday and is aimed at making Guildford's streets safer and to help attract older people back into the town centre. Among the offences that will attract a yellow card are offensive lan guage; throwing bottles, cans, bins, bollards or litter, wilfully obstructs ing $\qquad$ , using, threatnatinginthestreet. A police officer will take the person's name and address, which would then be placed on a police database for a predetermined period of time and if the same person was stopped again their details would be check against that database and then the book would be thrown at them. Most offences covered by the scheme are those that residents from Guildford have complained about ,to Surrey Police through the recent Fear of Crime survey, but were not covered in law, making it difficult for the police to deal with. The scheme is tobe piloted in Guildford and Staines on Friday and Saturday nights, and if successful it could be used in other towns across the county Guildford's top police, man, Ch Supt Mark Rowley said'. Acceptable standards of behaviour in the town centre are not being imposed, by ${ }^{\text {my }}$ rey Police, but are based on what the pub lic wants following extensive research and consultation. "Surrey Street standards is not zero ${ }^{\text {seminats }}{ }_{i}$ ", but an intelligent, graduated approach to dealing with ${ }^{\text {mith }}$ in ${ }^{\text {th }}$ social behaviour," he said. ## New initiative means that punishing ## I anti-social behaviour is on the cards PARTYGOERS in Guildford cans, bins, bollards or litter, wil-aldreceive a yellow card from fully obstructing roads, using threatening behaviour or urinating in the street. $\rightarrow$ police offl.cer will take the person's name and , address, which would then be placed on a police database for a predetermined period at time - and if the same person was stopped again their details would be checked against that database and then the Pools would be throws at the scheme are those that residents from Guildford have complained about to Surrey Police through the recent Fear of Crime survey, but were ot,covered n... law, making it difficult for the police to deal with. The scheme is to be piloted in Guildford and Staines on Friday and Saturday nights, and if successful it could be used in other owns across; the county, Guildford's top policeman, C Supt ;Mark Rowley, saic Acceptable standards of behat four in the town centre are nc being imposed by Surrey Polict but are abased on what th public wants following exter sive research and consulta tion: Surrey Street Standard is not zero tolerance, but ai intelligent, graduated approach to dealing with antiasocia behaviour." ![img-7.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/03-51%28F%29/img-7.jpeg) By TOM SIIAN STAINES is being used in a trial 'red card' scheme by Surrey Police in a bid to disapprove or anti-social behaviour. The idea of Surrey Street Standards, which is to call at 9pm tomorrow (Friday), comes from football schemes. Reedgers will be issued with yellow cards if caught (providing one of a number of offences. The offences' details are recorded on a police database and the car been scanned earlier, as they are set in a red card stating a court summons could follow. The offences include: - Using obscene language in public - Throwing bottles, cans, bins, other objects or litter - Using threatening, abusive, insulting words or behaviour - Obstructing the highway - Urinating in the street As well as Staines, the scheme is also being tried out in Guildford each centre. It will run from 9pm to 3am and if successful will be used in other towns. Spathorne Borough Inspector Jerry Westerman said: "Staines is not at all a violent town but some of the behaviour we can see sometimes causes people to believe it is. We hope this initiative will tackle this perception. "Surrey Street Standards is not about zero tolerance, but an intelligent, graduated approach to deal with anti-social behaviour." Acceptable standards of behaviour in the town centre are not being imposed by Surrey police, but based on what the public wants following extensive research and consultation. The scheme will be carried out in the event of a loss of control, the police will be in the event of a loss of control, the police will be in the event of a loss of control, and the police will be in the event of a loss of control. The scheme will be carried out in the event of a loss of control, the police will be in the event of a loss of control, and the police will be in the event of a loss of control. The scheme will be carried out in the event of a loss of control, the police will be in the event of a loss of control, and the police will be in the event of a loss of control. The scheme will be carried out in the event of a loss of control, the police will be in the event of a loss of control, and the police will be in the event of a loss of control. # Red card scheme hailed ## a massive success in town THE new Surrey Street Standards 'red card' scheme, introduced to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in Staines High Street, has been a success, Surrey Police have claimed. The football-inspired deterrent, where yobs are issued with yellow cards for first offences and red cards (or arrest) for subsequent ones, was designed by the police to tackle hooliganism in town centres - a frequent complaint of homeowners. Offenders receiving a yellow card have their details recorded on a police database and are warned a red card could mean either being arrested or given a court summons. Offences to be punished using the scheme include: - Urinating in the street - Swearing in public - Throwing bottles, cans, bins and other objects or litter - Using threatening, abusive, offensive words or behaviour - Obstructing the highway Surrey Street Standards was introduced to High Street at 9pm last Friday and was also in operation in Guildford High Street. A police spokesman said: "Sixteen yellow cards were issued on Friday evening, and six on Saturday - but no red cards. "There were just two arrests in Staines town centre over the weekend, one man for an assault and a woman for being drunk and incapable." Spathorne borough Inspector Jerry Westerman said: "Police set the standards of behaviour early in the evening and then watched people walking down the street telling their friends to quisten down." We will seek to extend the scheme shortly, to encompass every evening, and eventually to make it the "norm" for the city, 24 hours a day. The city council and city centre management team have given their full backing to the initiative, and will support it with a further marketing campaign during the summer. Can I extend my thanks and appreciation for the work that you did in constructing the initiative, and allowing us the facility to introduce it to Liverpool. I hope and trust that the scheme is also flourishing in Surrey, as I am sure it will make a positive impact on policing the ever-developing night-time entertainment culture in towns and cities throughout the country. Yours Sincerely H. Cooney Chief Inspector. Chief Inspector Helen Cooney Liverpool North Area. City Neighbourhood St Anne Street, Liverpool L3 3HJ Tel 0151 777 4002 Fax 0151 777 4010 e-mail Neighbourhood.CH.INSP.E.City@merseyside.police.uk