Latest news with #StPetersStreet
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Calls to strengthen toothless 'no-booze' policy on St Peter's Street in Derby
Leading Derby councillors are calling for St Peter's Street in the city centre to be designated an alcohol-free zone. A walkabout by Lib Dem group leader Councillor Ajit Atwal and Councillor Steve Hassall, Conservative group leader, on a recent Friday morning saw several people drinking on benches opposite St Peter's Church. Additionally, a large number of delivery riders with bikes were occupying benches opposite McDonald's and there was a constant flow of bikes being ridden fast up and down the street. Initially, Cllr Atwal and Cllr Hassall were concerned that no one in authority was in St Peter's Street - no police, public protection officers or St Peter's Quarter rangers. Cllr Hassall said: "There is nowhere for members of the public to sit because the seating is occupied by people such as drinkers and delivery drivers and there is no one around to move anyone on. The area should be designated an alcohol-free zone and maybe give people more reassurance that there is an intention to police the area. READ MORE: Five more arrests after murder of Derby man Dale Martin READ MORE: Derby city centre street with 'sea of takeaways' dubbed unhealthiest in the UK "People drinking in the street throughout the day is not a good look for visitors to the city and needs to be stopped. Having said that, St Peter's Street is nothing more than a thoroughfare. There is nothing for people to come here for - just a lot of vape and barber shops, together with places to eat. It's not a shopping area any more." But a few minutes later, the pair were left scratching their heads when they spotted a sign high up on a lamppost outside Tesco Express which appeared to support the idea of an alcohol-free zone. It was public space protection order (PSPO) put up by the city council but on closer inspection it appeared only to prevent people drinking alcohol in a public space if they are "causing a nuisance or annoyance". The wording of condition one on the sign is: "No person shall consume alcohol in a public place (excluding licensed premises) in a manner which causes a nuisance or annoyance to other person in the locality". Condition three on the same sign says: "No person shall ingest, inhale, inject, smoke or otherwise use intoxicating substances in a public place, excluding alcohol, tobacco or prescription medicines. Intoxicating substances are substances with the capacity to stimulate or depress a person's central nervous system." And condition six states that "no person shall use a skateboard, scooter, or bicycle in a public place in a manner which causes a nuisance or annoyance to other persons in the locality". The three other conditions cover begging, defecating and urinating and loitering as an individual or as a group, in which case they can be asked to leave the area and not return for 24 hours. Mt Atwal said: "So what constitutes a nuisance, who and how is this going to be enforced, and why does this protection order seem to raise more questions than it answers? "We have people drinking alcohol from cans, men sitting around with face coverings on, bikes being driven fast up and down the street and people stopping the public to ask for money. We recently had a fatal stabbing at Lloyd's Bank and people are naturally worried about doing normal things like withdrawing money from cash machines in broad daylight. "There should be an active law enforcement presence and it needs to be made clearer whether or not people are allowed to drink alcohol or not. It should be zero tolerance on this and also on drug taking and dealing on this street. Something needs doing about it all - of course it's causing a nuisance if people are drinking in the streets or lounging around on public seats, or riding bikes. "But it needs someone to enforce this or at least clarify the rules and regulations so that they can take action - currently the PSPO has no power to stop these things happening unless there is an obvious problem or presumably someone complains if anyone is around." Derbyshire Live asked the council about the sign and the lack of patrols in the street. Councillor Nadine Peatfield, leader of Derby City Council, and cabinet member for city centre, regeneration, strategy and policy, said: 'The previous Public Space Protection Order was introduced in January 2022 for a period of three years. A thorough process of evidence gathering, data analysis, and a public consultation is required for renewal. 'PSPOs can only be enforced by police and Public Protection Officers (PPOs). Our PPOs are on duty in the city centre daily but may sometimes be deployed to provide support elsewhere in the city. 'PSPOs are designed to be enforced only when there's an element of anti-social behaviour involved. When considering restrictions on street drinking, there needs to be a balance between tackling anti-social drinking and supporting our night-time economy and seasonal events, such as Christmas markets which would not be able to serve alcohol in a controlled setting under a blanket ban.'
The Independent
06-05-2025
- The Independent
Two arrested after customer stabbed to death inside city centre bank
Two men have been arrested after a customer was stabbed to death inside a city centre bank. The man, aged in his 30s, was attacked inside the Lloyds bank in St Peter's Street in Derby at around 2.35pm on Tuesday and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Although a formal identification has not taken place, his family have been made aware. A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, Derbyshire Police said. Both suspects were detained at about 6pm at an address in Western Road, Normanton and remain in police custody. In a statement Lloyds said: "We are deeply saddened by the incident at our Derby branch and our thoughts are with those affected. "We are supporting our colleagues during this difficult time and will co-operate closely with the police." The pedestrianised street was taped off by officers earlier today as well as nearby East Street in the city centre. An air ambulance also landed near Derby Cathedral earlier today. A significant police presence remains in the city centre, Derbyshire Police said. Detective Inspector Tony Owen, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We appreciate that this incident will have caused significant concern to the local community and we'd like to thank them for their patience and understanding. 'No-one else was hurt and while the investigation is at an early stage, at this time we are treating it as an isolated incident. 'Officers will be in the area for some time so we'd encourage anyone with any concerns to please speak to us. 'We'd also encourage anyone with any information on this incident to please contact us as a matter of urgency.'
