Action plan to deal with 'problematic' young people and anti-social behaviour in Old Portsmouth this summer

Portsmouth City Council has signed off a plan to prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in various hotspots, including Hotwalls and the Camber Docks, in the spring and summer this year. The council has outlined measures in its action plan, these include annual water safety assemblies in secondary schools, ideally before the May half term, as well as conducting youth focus groups. The police and partner organisations will re-launch “Operation Nautical,” boosting patrols from Old Portsmouth to Eastney, covering Southsea Common and new warning signs will be installed around Camber, while CCTV will identify individuals engaged in antisocial behaviour.

The council has been working for the past few years to redirect young people from ASB hotspots. However, according to the council’s community safety strategy and partnership manager Lisa Wills, in 2023, the police were still required to manage disorder at Hotwalls and South Parade Pier. She added the findings of a local survey “made it clear” that young people “were not interested in being diverted away from the area” and that residents found the behaviour of large groups of young people “problematic”.

Alternative solutions suggested by residents include floating diving platforms, however, they “were found to be inappropriate for coastal water, high risk in terms of management and expensive to run in the long term”.“More recently the idea of a sea pool I think was raised but the coastal works were too far advanced to incorporate. “The council does not have the financial capacity to consider this alternative provision or to increase funding for youth services in the area.”

She added the council recently applied to the Police and Crime Commissioner to fund more youth outreach workers “but we’re not focusing on diversionary activities this year, because they clearly didn’t work last year.”

In closing, the cabinet member for safety in the community councillor Ian Holder said the issue has been ongoing for “years and years” adding: “My dad used to work down there in the late sixties and he remembers kids jumping into the camber”.