Council and police work together to tackle anti-social behaviour

A man responsible for more than two dozen incidents of anti-social behaviour since mid-March, and who has posed a risk to public health, has been banned from the town centre at specific times.

Published: Tuesday, 16th June 2020

Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Police have been working in partnership to ensure that Robert Boston-Thomas is unable to continue to behave in an anti-social manner.

Last week, the Council obtained a court injunction banning Boston-Thomas from entering the town centre between the hours of 8pm and 8am.

He is now forbidden from using foul or abusive language towards members of the public, causing people alarm or distress and from possessing an open container of alcohol.

In addition, Boston-Thomas has not taken any notice of the Government’s social distancing guidelines since the lockdown came into force. As a result, he has posed a public health danger to residents, and both the Council and the police were keen to act as quickly as possible to mitigate any negative effects to the public.

Councillor Cathy Martyn, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Public Safety, said: “The safety of our residents is a top priority for this Council. We always act as quickly and effectively as possible to address the behaviour of individuals who pose a public health risk and who make life unpleasant for other people.

“This court injunction will ensure that Mr Boston-Thomas isn’t able to harass people anymore. It’s important that people feel safe and welcome when they visit our town centre, especially as shoppers begin to return to the town centre following the relaxation of lockdown rules.

“So I would like to thank Council and police officers for a positive result in obtaining this injunction – we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

PC Paul Bezzant said: “This case is a really good example of the partnership working between the local authority and the police to tackle anti-social behaviour involving this individual.

“Boston-Thomas has caused issues within the town centre for residents, shoppers and businesses on multiple occasions through street drinking, anti-social behaviour and threatening and intimidating behaviour. This is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“This injunction prevents Boston-Thomas from carrying out specific anti-social behaviour within the town centre and includes an exclusion curfew amongst other restrictions. Failure to comply could result in his arrest.

“I hope this sends a clear message to the public that we will use the enforcement powers available to us to act swiftly to combat issues which are causing a negative impact on our local community.”

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