New officers to tackle anti-social behaviour in city

A new team of public space officers has been deployed in Leicester city centre to try to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The six new officers have been recruited by Leicester City Council to reinforce its existing team of street wardens in an effort to make the city centre feel safer.

They have the power to issue £100 penalty notices for offences such as dangerous riding of e-bikes and scooters, street drinking and aggressive begging, which became offences under a public spaces protection order (PSPO) established in 2025.

The officers, equipped with stab vests and body-worn CCTV cameras, are patrolling the city centre 12 hours a day, six days a week, the council said.

Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the blue-uniformed officers would be a visible deterrent against nuisance behaviour.

"There's a general consensus that cities don't feel as safe as they used to," Soulsby said.

"That's something I'm determined to address in Leicester."

Scott White, one of the new officers, told the BBC "The single biggest issue is the street lifestyle.

"It's trying to get groups of people to engage and to trust us.

"A lot of people see the uniform and they think we're the police.

"We've been called spies [but] we're not here to punish everyone and we're not here to enforce every time.

"We are actually here to help people."

Soulsby said he was proud only a "tiny" number of fines had been issued so far.

"The order is particularly aimed at persuading people, not fining them, or seeking to take them to court or anything of that sort.

"It's to try to get them to act in a way that makes a life for everybody else in the city centre reasonable and bearable."

City centre police inspector Ryan Ludlam said: "We welcome the coordinated approach of this new team, which will play a valuable role in deterring anti-social behaviour in the city centre and further aiding crime reduction in the area."

Currently the PSPO rules apply to the city centre, but the council is carrying out a public consultation on proposals to expand them to surrounding neighbourhoods.

It is expected to make a final decision on the move later in the summer.

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