Panel backs catapult crackdown after swan killings but raises questions over enforcement powers

Councillors are ‘completely on board’ with proposals to give RBWM more power to challenge people carrying catapults after attacks on wildlife – but have questions about how these will be enforced. 

A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) restricting people from carrying catapults or slingshots with stones, pellets or ball bearings could come into force.

The PSPO would cover Windsor, Old Windsor, Eton, Datchet and Horton and Wraysbury.

This follows a ‘significant rise’ in catapults being used antisocially, with reports of wildlife being killed or injured, damage to properties and concerns over public safety, a report said. 

From November 2025 to January, a public consultation asked for residents’ feedback on the proposed crackdown, with more than 1,300 residents supporting it.

Respondents said the area covered by the PSPO is ‘too limited’ and suggested a borough-wide crackdown should be enforced.

At a Place Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting yesterday (Monday), Amanda Gregory, the council’s assistant director of housing and public protection, said there is not enough evidence to make the PSPO borough-wide.

She said the PSPO will be reviewed after three years, once it is in place, or earlier if more evidence arises for other areas.

At the Town Hall meeting, Councillor Richard Coe, the cabinet member for public protection and community governance, said: “As a Liberal, restricting freedom is not a particularly natural thing to do.

“However, in the case of anti-social behaviour, we are balancing the rights of some residents – in this case, to carry catapults – against other residents’ rights to peaceful enjoyment of their neighbourhood.”

The scrutiny panel backed the plans but questioned how the PSPO will be enforced.

Councillor Alison Carpenter (Ind, Clewer and Dedworth East) was ‘completely on board’ with the proposals but she said existing PSPOs are often ignored.

The catapulting PSPO would not replace the powers Thames Valley Police already have to deal with wildlife crime, but is instead an additional tool, the meeting heard.

Ms Gregory said: “It’s a joint enforcement responsibility. The majority of it will be reliant on the police to enforce it.”

Community wardens will also be authorised to confiscate the catapults or issue a penalty to people carrying them.

Andy Aldridge, the council’s community safety manager, said he totally agrees with Cllr Carpenter’s concerns about PSPOs not being enforced.

“We could have a PSPO for everything if we wanted to – it all comes down to who is going to enforce it,” he said.

He said there were concerns raised within the council that there were not enough community wardens to ‘put emphasis’ on the PSPO.

He added that education was key because the consultation showed young people were predominantly the ones carrying catapults and launching projectiles.

Cllr Coe (Lib Dem, Riverside) agreed that enforcement against minors is ‘very difficult’ but believed the confiscation powers are the main way to address the issue.

But Cllr Gary Reeves (Lib Dem, Cox Green) asked what would make an officer question a child who may be carrying marbles but only intends to play with them.

Mr Aldridge reassured him that officers will be trained, with ‘reasonable grounds’ needed to question someone.

There are legitimate reasons people would be able to carry catapults, for example, for anglers to spread bait into the Thames, the meeting heard. These reasons would be accommodated within the public protection order.

The PSPO is set to be discussed at a Royal Borough cabinet meeting in April.