Calls to get tough on anti-social behaviour, street drinking, graffiti and chewing gum – all of which blight our city centre – have been answered as part of Operation Horizon.
An army of Peterborough City Council staff and councillors in brightly coloured green branded high visibility vests, alongside partners including Peterborough Positive and Cambridgeshire Police, took to our streets this morning as part of a two-day event.
Their aim is to sort out the issues that residents say blights their experience of ‘going into town’.
As part of the crack-down, streets are being jet-washed, street drinkers handed fines and offered support, litter picking is taking place in hot spot areas such as the Embankment, businesses are being visited to check they are meeting licensing requirements and Food Safety Standards. Alongside this, our rough sleeper outreach work will continue as usual to offer a pathway away from the streets for anyone sleeping rough.
The focus will be extended past these initial two-days with the creation of a City Impact Team, led by the city council, which will bring together businesses, organisations such as Peterborough Positive and other partners to bring about long-lasting change.
Councillor Shabina Qayyum, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “Operation Horizon was orchestrated to show that we are entering a new age of our approach in tackling city centre issues.
“Our city centre has so much to offer – a great variety of places to shop, eat and drink, fantastic visitor attractions such as our beautiful Norman cathedral, the museum, theatres and the Lido. Yet for too long it has been blighted by issues like street drinking, professional begging and unclean streets. Our residents have – quite rightly – said that it is deterring them from using our city centre and so we are now waging war on these issues.
“As well as our two-day hit squad, we will be creating a City Impact Team which will go back to the basics of being visible, approachable and working with our partner organisations to tackle issues quickly and effectively.
“With the introduction of a Growth Board and a renewed focus on the growth and regeneration of our city centre and its establishment as a regional tourism hot spot, we need to get this right. Both for our residents and for our future prosperity.”
Both Operation Horizon and its longer-term City Impact Team will identify and address long-standing issues that affect the look and feel of our city, including:
- Anti-social behaviour
- Street drinking
- Begging
- Youth-related ASB
- Rough sleeping
- Litter
- Graffiti
- Waste accumulations
- Taxi and private hire compliance
- Unauthorised trading
- Parking contraventions
- Misuse of taxi ranks
- Boat-related ASB / encroachment onto the embankment.
- Nb – Officers will recognise that some individuals encountered during the operation may present with complex needs including homelessness, mental ill-health, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities. Where appropriate, enforcement activity should be balanced with engagement, safeguarding, support and referral opportunities.
Cllr Qayyum said: “Once Operation Horizon has finished, this is not the end. We have a renewed focus on our city centre and residents will be able to see a change in the look and feel of our city centre over the coming weeks and months.
“And this is not all we are doing, we have a new flytipping and littering campaign which will be launching soon, which will address issues in the wider city too, which we want everyone in our city to take part in.
“We are listening to you, and we are heralding in a cleaner, safer city for you all.”
