Police to decide who can drink in public? Pissheads in Windrush Sq. to go?

[matt m]

For me, it's not street drinking in Brixton centre that bothers me at all, it's in the residential area (ie a couple of feet from my bedroom).
So for purely selfish reasons I'd like to see a borough-wide anti-street drinking law enacted – so my next-door neighbours would be prevented from boozing and smoking weed on their front steps from the afternoon till the early hours every single bloody day. Every morning I keep my fingers crossed that it'll rain tonight, so I'll be able to get some sleep.

I'd like to see the local police create a dedicated anti-pissing patrol too.

 

[Isambard]

If you ban or "smash" a street or drug friendly drinking scene in one area it WILL appear in another a few days later.

You can ban stuff over say a whole borough but you are only moving the problems onto somewhere else.

Good for "New Brixton" house prices though.

 

[TopCat]

I'd like them to get rid of the street spliffers.

15 Jamicans hanging about outside a bookies stinking the place out is not something my two year old kid should have to put up with as she toodles to the playground.

Why not? What's the harm?

 

[Winot]

Unless they exclude parks (as Camden has done) this presumably means no more Chucklehead cider at the Lambeth Country Fair.

 

[Greebo]

I doubt it. A few years ago Brockwell park had an area designated for street drinkers to use.

 

[King of Prussia]

I'd like to see a borough-wide anti-street drinking law enacted – so my next-door neighbours would be prevented from boozing and smoking weed on their front steps too.

Smoking weed is already illegal.

 

[gaijingirl]

I doubt it. A few years ago Brockwell park had an area designated for street drinkers to use.

Yes - which is due to be cut out of the park when/if the road which will cut across that section goes ahead. I know the loss of this area is popular with certain Herne Hill residents who want to see it "smartened up". I happen to think it's a real shame and pretty short-sighted really because before the creation of the partially hidden drinkers' corner they all sat out in exactly the same place and drank anyway in full public view. I imagine they will go back to doing so - unless of course someone decides to try and move them on again - which should be interesting.

 

[pboi]

they should move to the disused changing rooms! imagine the facilities

 

[Riklet]

Lol, Amsteldam....

I can't see how such drinking zones would do a huge amount of good; non-problem drinkers don't need supervising in a special little box if they feel like having a can outdoors, and those with real drinking problems surely can be catered to, and truly helped n better ways than being jammed into an area to stop them hanging around near yuppie flats etc.

 

[T.H.R]

If the CDZ covered the entire borough, there's no way street drinking would be eliminated. Windrush Square/St Matthews is just one of loads of spots in Lambeth which attract street drinkers (e.g. Tulse Hill Station Road and Streatham Green) and people would find it easy to identify alternative locations.

To be honest, while I don't sit around with 'street drinkers' I do like to drink outside sometimes, especially in Brockwell Park, and I'd be pissed off if some stormtrooping police boot ordered me to pour it away. I was about to say what a liberty, but I suppose it's the opposite.