UK town takes North Korea’s advice in dealing with miscreants, deviants and scoundrels

Grimsby will start playing messages over a speaker system every 15 minutes in an effort to curb anti-social behaviour.

Short messages reminding people of the rules around cycling in the pedestrian zone will be played at the Bull Ring and Victoria Street South starting from Wednesday, as part of a trial scheme run by the council.

There  are currently seven public space protection orders (PSPOs) in place around North East Lincolnshire, after a consultation identified anti-social behaviour as the public’s top concern as having the largest negative impact on the community if left unaddressed.

Cycling in the pedestrianised town centre is considered one of the PSPOs, with others including street drinking, foul language, dog fouling and climbing buildings.

If a police officer spots somebody displaying any of the prohibited behaviour they can ask them to leave that area and not return within 24 hours and issue then with a £100 fine.

Councillor Ron Shepherd, the council’s portfolio holder for communities, said people behaving in an anti-social way should ‘be made aware of what they are doing and reprimanded accordingly’.

‘Additionally, this new [speaker] system will be a way of educating a wider audience as visitors and residents go about their daily business,’ he added.

‘Should the trial be successful, we look forward to expanding its use in the future.’

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