More than 500 anti-social behaviour bans issued in Doncaster, figures reveal

City of Doncaster council's engagement officers issued more than 500 orders banning people from public spaces over the course of 2024, The Daily Telegraph has reported.

In comparison, the Metropolitan Police, Britain's largest force, issued 522 such bans over a similar period and South Yorkshire Police - covering the same area - issued only 263 orders.

Dispersal orders are normally reserved for police forces but Doncaster Council is one of a handful of authorities allowed to give its officers similar powers using Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which were designed to tackle anti- social behaviour.

Manifesto Club, a civil liberties group said: "The power to bar people from a public space such as a city centre is a very serious power, which should be used rarely if at all.

"If somebody is committing a crime, they should be arrested and charged; if they have not committed a crime, they should be allowed to remain.

"The dispersal power certainly should not be invoked by red-jacketed council officers, who suspect that you might be about to annoy somebody."

The authority has a team of 10 engagement officers and is currently advertising for a further five officers to address anti-social and "unseemly" behaviour in the city centre.

The advert states they are trying to recruit "local people who know the city and want to help it reach its full potential.”