Alcohol Restricted Zone no longer valid in Moseley

Last week Izzy wrote to Sergeant Tom O’Keeffe asking for increased patrols in Moseley Village and for enforcement of the Alcohol Restricted Zone (ARZ) . This was following a number of reported incidents of damage to, and theft from businesses, rowdy and drunken behaviour on the village green and fighting, which she witnessed, in the churchyard. Businesses have reported that customers are put off from visiting them due to the anti social behaviour of a group, which includes some new faces. They are loud, intimidating and sometimes aggressive. They dominate the benches and the bus stop and are now regularly causing issues in the church yard. They are drinking alcohol in the street, steadily from morning until night time.

Since Izzy’s email there have been more patrols by the PCSO’s and visits to the businesses mostly affected, which is welcome but is not addressing the real problem.

What is concerning is Sgt O’Keeffe also confirmed that officers were not enforcing the ARZ as he has been advised by his licensing officer that it had been superseded by the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) introduced in 2017 and is no longer valid .

The PSPO itself expired in October 2020 and was not renewed by Birmingham City Council, despite calls from the local Police and community groups such as Moseley Forum and Moseley Society. A scrutiny report issued in October 2020 explains the council wished to introduce a new process for implementing PSPO’s which would be introduced ‘in the coming year’.
The local police have this month submitted an evidenced report to Birmingham City Council for consideration of renewal of the Moseley & Kings Heath PSPO. A decision is not expected until at least the autumn.

Izzy has written to the council licensing department to clarify the situation with regard to the Alcohol Restricted Zone, originally introduced in 2003, which is still listed on the council website and advertised with signage in the village and beyond.

In the meantime though that signage is not worth the metal it is written on. No one is taking any notice of it and the police are not enforcing it. That is not good news for the businesses or the residents of Moseley over this coming summer.