URGENT action is being taken by police and Trowbridge Town Council to drive drunks out of town as complaints about rowdy and intimidating behaviour have soared in the past six weeks.

Police have issued four dispersal orders in the past six months, – which mean that troublemakers can be banned from the town centre – but more and more people are ignoring them and returning to hotspots in the park and nearby roads.

But now the police, town council, Wiltshire Council and Friends of Trowbridge Park (FoTP) have had enough and are uniting to clamp down on drinkers by making it difficult for them them to congregate outdoors in gangs and by encouraging shopkeepers not to sell alcohol drink to people are showing signs of drunkenness. 

A community action day will be held on July 13 to tell the public how the alliance plans to combat the problem.

FoTP chairman Sharl Adabashi said he wants to create a town where people feel safe, no matter what time of the day it is.

“I don’t want anyone to run down this town through perception of fear or reality,” he added.

“Unfortunately the number of people drinking is not conducive to a good image of the town.

“We want to spread the message that any area should not be used as an open-air area pub. We are fed up of the continuous drinking in public by a small minority of people who spoil it for the majority. It is a balance of saying you have rights, but they should not impede on the rights of the majority.”

Trowbridge Town Council leader Bob Brice echoed his concerns and said: “We are trying to break down the areas where people feel fearful of going by tackling antisocial drinking head-on.”

After receiving 60 call-outs in relation to drinking in the last six weeks, Trowbridge Police’s Inspector James Brain said immediate action is needed to tackle antisocial drinking, but the public should not be worried about the increase.

“While we understand that some members of public will be concerned about drink-related antisocial behaviour, it hardly ever results in incidents of crime and the general public are rarely directly involved,” he added.

“There is a specific group causing the vast majority of issues and by dealing and working with the group we will significantly reduce the number of incidents.

“I do feel hopeful about the crackdown. We have an expectation that focused partnership working will reduce antisocial drinking in Trowbridge.”

Efforts are already being made through a Designated Public Place Order, which was initiated in Trowbridge five years ago.

While it helps local authorities deal with the problems of alcohol related anti-social behaviour in public places, it is not a total ban on drinking alcohol but it makes it an offence to carry on drinking when asked to stop by a constable or authorised officer.

The police, along with the support of the council and FoTP, hope that in the coming weeks they will be able to reduce complaints by restricting drunken people to buy further alcohol, offering reassurance and guidance to the community and referring offenders to the Anti-Social Behaviour Risk Assessment Conference where persistent offenders will be discussed.

While there are many areas of concern, Trowbridge Park, the Sensory Gardens, Church Walk and the Town Bridge remain top of the priority list with police informed of daily occurrences of anti-social behaviour.