Bristol PCSOs to target littering

Bristol is pulling out the stops to make sure the city is one of the cleanest in the UK, according to Bristol Councillors.

The City Council have teamed up with Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to target anti-social behaviour which is damaging the local environment.

PCSOs will now be issuing fixed penalty fines for littering, dog fouling and fly posting.

Neighbourhood Police Inspector Mark Runacres said: “The PCSOs play a vital role in policing Bristol and help to combat key problem areas such as anti-social behaviour and underage drinking freeing up police officers to deal with other issues. We know from our meetings with the local communities that keeping the area clean and tidy is a first concern. We know also that anti-social behaviour such as littering can lead to more extreme behaviour which has an impact on residents.”

Councillor Gary Hopkins is keen to make Bristol a pleasant place for residents and Christmas visitors to the city.

Councillor Hopkins said:  “We are also training staff from many Council departments such as cleansing, waste, environmental health and pest control, to advise and encourage better behaviour and to issue fixed term penalty fines of up to £75 on the spot.”

Bristol now has 132 PCSOs patrolling the streets with funding of £1.2 Million earlier this year increasing their numbers by more than a third.