FEAR AND LOATHING in town centres

PUBLIC ORDER CRIMES INCLUDING VIOLENCE, DRUNKEN DISORDERLY AND THREATENING BEHAVIOUR

- By RICHARD AULT

ROWDY drunks, threatening thugs and fist fights are threatening the peace in town and city centres across England and Wales, crime figures show.

Last year, police received more than 400,000 reports of public order offences nationwide.

This type of crime includes offences which cause fear, alarm and distress, such as violent disorder, affray, threatening or drunk and disorderly behaviour, and any offence related to stirring up racial, religious, or homophobic hatred.

It also includes rioting and many of the locations that suffered from civil unrest in the wake of the murder of three children at a dance class in Southport last summer suffered high levels of public order offences last year.

For example, there were 361 public order offences at Southport Waterfront.

However, it is impossible to say if any of those public order offences were linked to civil disorder, and in fact, there were more offences in Southport Waterfront in 2023 (482).