On-the-spot fines • PSPOs

Cyclist fined by ‘cowboy’ warden in Colchester

A resident of Colchester was fined by ‘cowboy’ private enforcement officers for cycling in Colchester town centre. Read his testimony below: I was handed a PSPO ticket (under Section 59 of the Anti-Social Behavior, Crime and Policing Act 2014) for cycling up West Stockwell Street on 3rd June 2024, and then onto the high street. I had given way to the pedestrians during joining the high street, but did not dismount. I then crossed the road to the cycle rack opposite West Stockwell street, and went to lock my bike to the rack. I was then stopped and spoken to as I…

Busking • PSPOs

Busker gets fine for playing outside Bruce Springsteen concert

This is a testimony from David Fisher, busker and director of Keep Streets Live, who was issued with a £100 on-the-spot fine for playing outside Wembley Stadium. David has launched a Downing Street petition asking the Home Office to ban fining for profit for PSPO enforcement. Sign and share his petition. On the 25th July 2024 I travelled to Wembley Stadium with the intention of busking outside a Bruce Springsteen concert. I’ve done this many times before throughout all of Europe and always been met with a very positive response, as well as being willing to make accommodations with local officers/security guards…

CPN case studies

Suicidal woman given CPW based on false allegations

Here is a testimony from a woman with significant mental health problems who received a CPW on the basis of false allegations. This shows how councils and police are taking minimal care in their use of CPNs against people with mental health problems, in spite of advice in the guidance that CPNs should not be used against vulnerable groups. It also shows how the CPN can function as a sort of ‘black mark’, encouraging others to target that person with harassment and further allegations. Such CPW interventions worsen neighbour relations, as well as substantially worsen the situation of the CPN recipient. Read…

CPN case studies

Pensioner threatened with prison for SECOND time for feeding birds

We previously published the account of a pensioner who was imprisoned for 15 weeks feeding the birds. Now the council – which has issued him with a Criminal Behaviour Order – is threatening him with prison again, this time for up to 5 years. Here is an updated statement from the pensioner. Since March, I’ve had a Criminal Behaviour Order, with a map of my town outlining where not to feed the birds. However, the beach seems to not be outlined, therefore I’ve been feeding the birds on the beach for half an hour a day. I feed them sardines mixed with…

Free speech

‘Hate monster’ and ‘hate hubs’ – the legacy of the Scottish Hate Crime Act

The Manifesto Club supported the Free to Disagree campaign against the Scottish Hate Crime Bill – legislation that meant you could be imprisoned for being ‘hateful’ in your own home. Here is a guest post by Stuart Waiton, a Scottish academic who was one of the leading figures in the campaign. It’s difficult to know what to make of the Hate Crime Act in Scotland. It was launched with such stupidity and so many own goals that by the end of the first day of its existence the first minister Humza Yousaf had received more ‘hate’ complaints than any other individual in…

On-the-spot fines • PSPOs

Council forced to scrap ‘cowboy’ cycling fines

Colchester Council has been forced to scrap fines issued to cyclists under its Public Spaces Protection Order, after people were wrongfully fined for actions including cycling on shared-use paths, cycling in cycling areas, and cycling slowly on a pavement to avoid a dangerous roundabout. Colchester’s PSPO prohibits – Using a skateboard, bicycle, scooter, skates, or any other self-propelled wheeled vehicle, including electric scooters in such a manner as to cause or is likely to cause intimidation, harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance, or annoyance to any person. As we noted in our PSPOs report last year, there is a growing trend for councils to…