Those who ruin the county’s parks and open spaces for others with their unacceptable drunken behaviour have been served a zero tolerance warning by crime-fighting partners.

Action plans to deal with alcohol-related crime and disorder in parks were put in place following vandalism in Darren Park and low-level incidents in Pontypridd.

These included additional police patrols, the use of evidence-gathering “headcams” by park staff, the installation of CCTV and consideration of alcohol restriction zones and even accrediting Council park rangers with powers to seize booze.

However, following a series of unacceptable incidents in Pontypridd’s Ynysangharad Park, including a drunken fight near the children’s playground, the response has been stepped up by the Rhondda Cynon Taf Community Safety Partnership.

The Partnership is the umbrella that coordinates and drives the activities of the many agencies that work to reduce crime and disorder, including South Wales Police, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s many departments, South Wales Fire and Rescue, RCT Homes, health and more.

It was at one of the partnership’s regular problem-solving forums that issues in parks were first raised, by Council workers and the police.

Following vandalism at Darren Park, patrols were stepped up and CCTV installed in a number of parks in a bid to identify and deter offenders.

In light of the recent events, activity from the partners has been stepped up and those who use the parks are being assured that offenders will not be welcome.

Cllr John David, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “The incidents reported in the park are unacceptable and we will not have our beautiful open spaces ruined for others by a mindless minority.

“Our parks are safe, attractive beauty spots for all to enjoy and we want to keep it that way. Offenders are not welcome and we have stepped up the activity we put in place following incidents in Ferndale and Pontypridd.

“Offenders need to be aware we are watching them and visitors need to be reassured that we are working on their behalf. Staff at the park are committed to ensuring it remains a place for all to enjoy.

“The above-mentioned fight led to calls to introduce an alcohol ban in the park and we have to make the situation clear on this matter. The only way we can ban alcohol in the parks is by changing the law - there is no tool available to us to stop people drinking.

"However, we can consider the introduction of a DPPO which makes it an offence not to surrender alcohol when asked to do so by an officer. This is just one of the means we are considering and will complement the ongoing operation that includes increased patrols, CCTV and more.

"We will also continue to make use of the many pieces of legislation already in place that allows zero tolerance of crime and anti-social behaviour in the park and court orders to ban persistent offenders from entering the parks if they do not stop their behaviour."

Inspector Steve Jones added: “I hope that this message serves as a timely reminder to all those bent on spoiling what is a fantastic facility for all to enjoy. The police and our partners have committed to stepping up our efforts in tackling this issue, and as has been mentioned, we have a number of tactics at our disposal to tackle the low level issues that are currently being experienced.

“ The message is simple, we welcome anyone who wants to enjoy and use the facilities, but we are clearly drawing a line in the sand regarding what is acceptable behaviour. Additional CCTV coverage and headcams used by our partners has increased the eyes and ears we have available to us, and produces fantastic visual evidence for us to use in prosecuting those who cross the line.”