A roving team of officers is being deployed to tackle yobbish behaviour in central London.
Westminster council said it is “making a stand” against aggressive begging, street drinking and drug taking that can leave some residents and business owners “living in fear”.
It has employed a six-person police-style unit, which will use a network of 100 mobile CCTV cameras to identify the areas of most concern.
The Street Based Intervention (SBI) will be deployed wherever persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) is reported, with officers starting in Victoria to help “turn around some of the persistent problems” there. It will then be expanded across the borough.
Council leader Adam Hug said: “Our streets are to be shared and enjoyed by all our residents and should be welcome and safe for all who visit, shop, or work here. Our new team will hold to account those who do not respect our city.
“Sadly, some people take to our streets and commit anti-social behaviour, deal drugs and cause harm.
“These people exploit some of the most vulnerable in society and we must make a stand.”
SBI officers will issue warnings and community protection notices for bad behaviour. They will be able to use civil powers to ban people from specific areas through court orders or hand out fines.
The team will also tackle “anti-social behaviour problems linked to rough sleeping”, the council said.
Officers have experience in homelessness and city management issues, the town hall added, and will provide help for those with the most severe addiction or mental health needs.
Mr Hug said: “We know that this city experiences some of the highest levels of rough sleeping, but many of these individuals have accommodation elsewhere and have no links to our city.
“It is for this reason that we will not hesitate to hold those to account through our new integrated team.
“ASB is corrosive and unacceptable to local people and businesses who should not be living in fear or finding their livelihoods curtailed by anti-social behaviour.
“Our aim is to ensure these problems don’t affect neighbourhoods while those sleeping rough get the targeted help they need.”
At the most recent count, 988 people were seen sleeping rough on the streets of Westminster, according to charity The Passage.
This is the highest number of any London borough.
Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, said: “The streets are a terrifying place to find oneself, not least because of criminals who prey on the vulnerability of people who are street homeless.
“The Passage is proud to work in collaboration with Westminster council and other partner agencies to prevent people from spending even one night on the streets and, for those who do, to help them off the streets as quickly and safely as possible.
“We therefore welcome the new ASB team which is being introduced to safeguard all in our community, providing additional support for the most vulnerable people who find themselves on the streets and at risk of being targeted.”
