People urged to respect parks and behave appropriately

With lockdown restrictions starting to ease, and the recent fine weather, we appreciate that people are keen to get outdoors now that 6 people, or two households, can meet – socially distanced – in public spaces and private gardens.

We have seen high numbers of people using our parks, and local police have an operation running to patrol parks and respond to concerns about anti-social behaviour or breaches to social distancing.

We do have Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in our parks, however these do not prevent adults from drinking alcohol outdoors. Alcohol will be removed from people behaving irresponsibly, and this power has been used. Police will also confiscate alcohol from anyone under 18 years old, and young people who are under the influence of alcohol are taken home.

We recognise that the higher usage of parks has an impact on litter and again we urge people to clear up and place rubbish in the bins provided – or if they are full take their litter home. It is not acceptable to leave litter anywhere in our district, and more bins are being installed in the parks in the next few days to help with the demand.

With Police, we will continue to respond to all concerns and deal with matters proportionally; we want to see people enjoying our public spaces, but people must take responsibility for maintaining social distance, behaving responsibly, and ensuring they do not leave litter.

#RespectandTolerate

Report anti-social behaviour to Police online at www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb/report-antisocial-behaviour 

You can also call 101.