SECURITY officers will have more powers to deal with antisocial behaviour in the city centre.

Since July 2017, in response to a rise in low level anti-social behaviour across the city, Salisbury City Council has contracted Venture Security Management Ltd to provide city centre security officers (CCSO’s) in a bid to help police deal tackle these type of issues.

Venture Security, with support from the city council and Wiltshire Police, applied for and have now been granted additional powers by the Chief Constable to further assist the council in dealing with antisocial behaviour.

Salisbury City councillor Sven Hocking said: “Today marks another important step in the relationship between Salisbury City Council, Venture Security and the Wiltshire Police with the delegation of Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) powers by the police to the CCSO’s.

"These additional powers will enable closer partnership working and additional evidence gathering capabilities which will increase the capacity to further reduce anti-social behaviour issues in the city”.

Community Policing Team Inspector Pete Sparrow added: “We fully support this change to the CCSO’s role and responsibility and as has been proven over the last two years, the presence of the CCSO’s has made a significant difference in our efforts to curb low level criminality and ASB. Our officers regularly liaise with the CCSO’s and patrol with them and this activity will not change.”

The additional powers came into effect on Saturday and mean the will have greater powers to deal with both begging and under 18 street drinking as part of their role in conjunction with Wiltshire Police.

These powers are already held by Venture Security for its similar operations in Winchester, which were introduced last October.

Paul Howe, the managing director of Venture Security, said: “It is a genuine honour to be the first organisation to have been approved by Wiltshire Police under CSAS. This is something that we have been working towards for a very long time and we really appreciate the support we have received both from Wiltshire Police and Salisbury City Council on this project.

"Our officers have already made a big difference in Salisbury over the past two years and CSAS will enable them to be even more effective in dealing with antisocial behaviour on the street.”