Police could ask the council to issue the notices in the centre of Preston Pic Tony Worrall

As a clampdown on people begging in Preston city centre begins there are two ways the police say they are dealing with it.

It involves using new laws which came into force in 2014 as part of the anti-social behaviour, crime and policing act.

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Preston City Council or potentially Preston Business Improvement District staff can begin issuing warning letters.

What’s the first step?

The community protection legislation can only be issued if someone is required to stop doing specified things.

A written warning must be given to the person in question if their conduct does’t change and they must be given enough time to have reasonably made changes, and yet chosen not to do so.

A person issued with a community protection warning and fails to comply could then be issued with a community protection notice.

What’s a community protection notice?

This is where the actions of an individual, aged 16 or over, is having a detrimental effect, of a persistent or continuing nature, on the quality of life of those in a locality and the conduct is unreasonable.

What’s the ultimate penalty?

Persistently breaking the community protection notice would see a court date set for a magistrates court hearing.