Designated Public Places Order
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Designated public place orders (DPPOs) give police officers discretionary powers to require a person to stop drinking and confiscate
alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...
or containers of alcohol from people they believe are consuming or about to consume alcohol in public places where the order is in effect. In the London Borough of Southwark, DPPOs are also called alcohol control areas (ACAs), while in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, they are called controlled drinking areas (CDAs) or controlled drinking zones (CDZs). Failure to comply with alcohol restrictions in DPPOs can result in arrest and/or a fine of up to £500. DPPOs are implemented by local councils in order to address alcohol-related crime and disorder in public places. 712 DPPOs have implemented by local authorities since Section 12 of the
Police and Criminal Justice Act 2001 The Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which gave extra powers to the police, with the aim to tackle crime and disorder more effectively. Key provisions include the introduction of on-the-spo ...
gave councils the power to do so where they were satisfied that areas were suffering from alcohol-related crime and disorder. A common impact of enforcement of DPPO powers is displacement of street drinking to nearby areas. A number of local authorities have used DPPOs to successfully reduce alcohol-related anti-social behaviour (ASB), but have stressed that DPPOs are not the solution to these problems but a useful tool to help address them. Some criticism has been levelled at the discriminatory element of the legislation (for instance should
picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...
kers be allowed to drink openly in a park where street drinkers are?) but generally an officers' discretion is considered sufficient to take appropriate action or not. Some reports from police have also indicated the powers can be useful for addressing ASB related to the Night Time Economy and problems from
licensed premises A liquor license (or liquor licence in most forms of Commonwealth English) is a governmentally issued permit to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages. Canada In Canada, liquor licences are issued by the legal authority ...
. Section 26 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 makes some amendments to the law surrounding the designation of public places during public events.


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Alcohol law in the United Kingdom Drinking culture {{UK-law-stub