From today new “Mean Teams” of uniformed highly-visible enforcement officers will take to the city's streets and hit offenders with on-the-spot £50 fixed penalty notices.
They will target people who break the law by littering, fly tipping, spraying graffiti, throwing chewing gum and cigarette butts on the street or allowing their dogs to foul pavements and parks – anti-social behaviour that costs the city £16m a year to clean up.
Since the launch of Clean Glasgow in mid-February, the focus has been on an initial “heart and minds” programme aimed at instilling pride in the city’s environment, and getting people involved.
The City Council has formed partnerships with all local communities throughout Glasgow via the Clean Glasgow Neighbourhood Charter, resulting in1000 volunteers taking part in over 100 local clean-ups, with the help of the 185-strong Clean Glasgow team which has also supplied materials and advice. Many more are in the pipeline.
A Learning Communities Charter was introduced earlier this month, enlisting 80,000 school pupils into the fight, and other Charters will follow targeted at the business community, major utilities companies, voluntary organisations and others. Ten new mobile CCTV vans have been introduced and 200 new bins with cigarette trays have been provided in the city centre.
But today in Buchanan Street, Council leader Steven Purcell brought the focus firmly on to the vital area of enforcement.
After unveiling of the Mean Teams in the city's Buchanan Street, he said: "I have been delighted by the reaction of most Glasgow people to the campaign, but the fact is that increased enforcement was always going to be a vital element of Clean Glasgow.
"The message is: ‘If you continue to act in this anti-social way, you will be caught and fined'. From today, make no mistake, there will be zero tolerance of litter, graffiti, fly tipping, fly posting, chewing gum and cigarette butts being thrown on pavements and people who refuse to clean up after their dogs. If you are caught doing any of these you will be hit firmly in your pocket. That is why you see these new enforcement teams in front of you today."