Spalding police will continue their battle against street drinking in the town, although there are no “quick wins”.
The vow has come from community patrol Inspector Jim Tyner, in reaction to a social media video of foreign nationals drinking outside the Free Press offices.
The video, featuring four drinkers, was originally published on Polish language website Spalding 24 and then a link was pasted onto this newspaper’s site – spaldingtoday.co.uk
One website viewer asked: “We now have a video clip posted showing street drinkers. Would you not only use this clip to show your readers how bad things are, but also pass this on to the police too.”
After seeing the clip, Insp Tyner responded: “Most people watching this video would agree that street-drinking is unpleasant and not what they want to see.
“Operation Trunk has officers dedicated to tackling anti-social behaviour linked to street-drinking. This video confirms my view that, despite increased demand for resources elsewhere, I am right to continue tackling this issue.
“In June my officers dealt with 85 street drinkers, while there were 18 calls from the public. Most of these calls were about the riverbank at the rear of the South Holland Centre.
“Our critics may say that as there are still street drinkers, then what we are doing isn’t working. All in all, I hope people feel reassured by the action we are taking under the limitations of the current law.
“Street drinking is a complex social issue with no quick wins. People are still drinking in the town centre, although they have mostly moved out of view of the public. The fact that, compared to last year, we are receiving significantly less calls about street-drinking would suggest street drinkers are having less impact on people.
“I was told market traders are returning to Spalding since Operation Trunk has cleared the shopping areas of drinkers. This tells me that what we are doing is contributing to town centre improvement.”
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