Police get tough on city centre street drinking and dish out fines worth hundreds

Officers are taking a hardline approach to deter the nuisance behaviour after make an arrest and handing out hundreds of pounds in fines.

A 38-year-old male who was spotted drinking in the West Parade Burial Ground on Thornhill Street was also arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency after allegedly urinating against a tree in the cemetery in the presence of officers and the public. Three other people were also given fixed penalty notices after being caught withalcohol.

Insp Helen Brear of the Wakefield central neighbourhood police team warned that residents are fed up with street drinkers, and the police will no longer tolerate them.

She said: “Street drinking and public drunkenness can dramatically lower the quality of life for those who live in areas plagued by it, and we have been working hard alongside Wakefield Council to try and tackle these issues in Wakefield city centre.

“These latest fines follow similar work in July in which my officers confiscated multiple cans of alcohol from persons caught drinking in the streets.

“The message from myself and my officers to people who do this couldn’t be simpler. We don’t want and we won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour and neither will residents.

“We don’t want you to behave in this way and if you do, we will catch you, you will be heavily fined and if you further offend, you will be arrested.”

In an operation last month, officers confiscated 11 cans of alcohol from street drinkers, and issued one with a £100 fine during a day of action.