A WARNDON teenager has become the first person in Worcester to be convicted using a new policing method to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Jack Payne, aged 19, of Rodborough Drive, Warndon, was recently fined £100 by magistrates for breaching a Community Protection Notice, issued by police.

Community Protection Notices - known as CPNs - were introduced a year ago to help tackle anti-social behaviour.

Payne had been causing noise problems and other disturbances in the area since the summer and despite having a warning letter from police, he continued to pose a problem eventually breaching the CPN.

He was fined £100 in court and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20, prosecution costs of £105, a court charge of £150 and £250 compensation in relation to a separate criminal damage charge £250.

CPNs were brought in with new legislation to tackle anti-social behaviour in October last year, along with orders that replace the ASBO and CRASBO (criminal anti-social behaviour orders) with criminal behaviour orders and civil injunctions. 

According to Jennifer Willems, the community harm coordinator, there are several steps to CPNs.

"The CPNs have been around for a year but people are still unaware of them and how effective they can be in tackling anti-social behaviour," she said.

"When we get a report of anti-social behaviour in a community, we will serve the person responsible with a warning letter, which outlines a number of restrictions they must adhere too.

"If they don't comply with that, we service them with a formal community protection notice, and if that is breached it is a criminal offence. So for example, if there are hotspots for street drinkers in a city centre, CPNs are useful in dealing with this.

"CPNs are particularly useful in dealing with persistent and continuing problems in a specific community."

According to police, out of the 32 warning letters issued in the south Worcestershire area, the majority of people have stopped the anti-social behaviour, while the eight that didn't were served with a formal notice. 

Sergeant Simon Hallam of Warndon Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), said: "The CPN is an effective tool for police, particularly SNTs, whose primary role is to resolve issues of anti-social behaviour within a community. The case of Mr Payne illustrates how quickly an individual's behaviour can be addressed via the courts when they fail to comply with notices and warnings. 

"We would like to reassure residents within all of our communities that any case of anti-social behaviour is taken seriously."

Call police on 101 to report anti-social behaviour.