Public spaces protection orders and the policing of sub-criminal behaviour

Public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) are civil powers used to regulate anti-social behaviour in England and Wales. Since their introduction in 2014, concerns have persisted about their disproportionate application against vulnerable populations, particularly people experiencing street homelessness. Drawing on qualitative interviews with practitioners, this article draws on procedural justice and responsive regulation theories to examine how statutorily designated policing bodies enforce PSPOs. The findings reveal that while policing bodies portray enforcement as incremental and fair, this framing serves to legitimise inconsistent application, discriminatory targeting, and the use of punitive sanctions. In doing so, this article contributes to the growing literature on PSPOs and has relevance to wider debates about how municipalities utilise a variety of tools to govern public spaces.