Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that the Council’s current Bye-Laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in designated places had come into operation on 12th September, 2007.  The Head of Environmental Health reported that, over the past two years, the Community Safety Team had, in conjunction with the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams, undertaken a more intensive programme of joint enforcement of the Bye-Laws in order to tackle the problems of underage and on-street drinking.  These operations, which had taken place mostly on a Friday and a Saturday evening in neighbourhoods across the City and at major civic events and parades, had focused also on preventing the sale by off-licences of alcohol to minors.  This approach had, since 2006/2007, generated an increase of 323 in the number of prosecutions being brought by the Council in respect of breaches of the Bye?Laws.

            The Head of Environmental Health explained that these enforcement operations had been welcomed by local communities who, along with Elected Representatives and partner agencies, had often assisted in identifying hotspots where alcohol was being consumed.  As a result, it was now proposed that a review be undertaken of the current Bye-Laws in order to determine whether additional streets or areas which had experienced difficulties in relation to on-street drinking and anti-social behaviour should be included.  She stated that, in order to assist in this process, a draft list of areas/streets which were not designated currently had been compiled.  These would, as part of a consultation process, be forwarded to Members to enable them to make additions, if required.  Officers from the Community Safety Team would be available also to facilitate Party Group briefings in relation to the review.  The information would be forwarded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland and would be considered by the District Policing Partnership.  Informal consultation would take place also with the Department for Social Development.

            The Head of Environmental Health explained that the new draft Bye-Laws, incorporating the additional streets and areas for designation, would then be presented to the Committee for adoption, following which a statutory process would be undertaken which would culminate in an application being submitted to the Department of Social Development seeking confirmation of their implementation.  In response to a question from a Member regarding possible changes to the method of designating streets, the Head of Environmental Health explained that Articles 68-72 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 should provide the Police Service of Northern Ireland with powers to deal with the consumption or possession of alcohol in designated public places where there was a problem of anti-social behaviour associated with the consumption of alcohol.  However, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had yet to make an order to commence these provisions and to draft regulations outlining a new procedure by which Councils could designate public places covered by this new offence.  These regulations would progressively replace the current Bye-Laws.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed to undertake, as outlined, a review of the streets and areas designated currently within the Bye-Laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in designated streets.  The Committee agreed further that a letter be forwarded to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland requesting that an Order be made to commence the provisions of Articles 68-72 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008.