ASBOs reviewed
The Government will today release an analysis of how successful its crackdown on anti-social behaviour has been.
It will release figures relating to the year-old attempt to restrict the movements of troublemakers through the use of anti-social behaviour orders, or ASBOs.
It is widely expected that the Government will announce plans to role out the ASBO pilot area to cover another 50 towns and cities.
A year ago the Home Office pledged to come down hard on groups and individuals who brought trouble to Britain’s streets and courts have invoked 2600 ASBOs so far this year.
Though the Government claims that the orders have been successful in improving communities, there are concerns about whether the orders are cost efficient, and whether sufficient sanctions are imposed on those who break the orders.
Commenting ahead of the report, the Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten, cast doubt on the project. He said: “Whilst the Liberal Democrats support ASBOs and many anti-social behaviour measures, we believe they are not the only solution. They can be effective at providing short-term solutions, but they don’t do what Tony Blair promised when he said he’d tackle the causes of crime.
“Moving problems from one estate to another just moves problem onto someone else. The public deserves more police on the streets not stuck in the station filling out forms, and measures to stop young people getting into crime in the first place.”
Mr Oaten argued that ASBOs are only “short-term fixes” and need to be “matched by long-term solutions.”
“The failure to collect so many fixed penalties, and the fact that a large number of ASBOs are breached, prove that these are only short-term fixes which must be matched by long-term solutions.”
