Labour slams shocking rise in town centre antisocial behaviour and vandalism
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Labour has today (Sunday, February 19) pledged to crack down on
antisocial behaviour with a new wide-ranging action plan, accusing
the Tories of abandoning action against antisocial behaviour over
the last 13 years. New analysis from Labour shows recorded
instances of criminal damage to shops, schools, leisure centres and
businesses have increased by more than 30% over the past year. In
the year ending September 2021, 41,550 offences of ‘criminal damage
to a building...Request free trial
Labour has today (Sunday, February 19) pledged to crack down on antisocial behaviour with a new wide-ranging action plan, accusing the Tories of abandoning action against antisocial behaviour over the last 13 years. New analysis from Labour shows recorded instances of criminal damage to shops, schools, leisure centres and businesses have increased by more than 30% over the past year. In the year ending September 2021, 41,550 offences of ‘criminal damage to a building other than a dwelling’ were recorded by police. But the latest figures show that has risen to 54,487 - 150 incidents every single day. At the centre of its action plan, Labour has pledged to introduce new Respect Orders aimed at targeting repeat antisocial behaviour offenders. Respect Orders will create stronger enforcement powers including a new criminal offence covering adults who have repeatedly committed antisocial behaviour which is causing misery in local communities who are ignoring warnings by the courts and the police. The plans will allow the police and courts to take swift enforcement action that is currently impossible under the Conservatives’ weaker antisocial behaviour powers. Reoffending figures show adult antisocial behaviour offenders are becoming more prolific and hardened. The latest numbers show nearly a quarter of criminal damage and arson offenders reoffend, as do more than a third of public order offenders. Last year, more than 20 million people experienced antisocial behaviour, more than a third of the population. Yet action against antisocial behaviour under the Conservatives has collapsed. Powers are not being used as many police, council officers think they are ineffective, and there is no Home Office strategy while lead responsibility has been transferred to the Levelling Up department. At the same time, the neighbourhood police enforcing ASB powers have been slashed - with PCSO numbers cut in half and 6,000 fewer neighbourhood officers on the beat. Labour’s plan also includes:
The plan follows Labour’s pledge to rebuild neighbourhood policing, with 13,000 additional neighbourhood officers and PCSOs, paid for by cleaning up police procurement to save £360m. It also follows Labour’s pledge to introduce clean up squads for fly-tippers, strengthen community sentences for antisocial behaviour and set up new Community Payback Boards to oversee community sentences. Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Antisocial behaviour makes people’s lives a misery. The disgraceful behaviour of a small minority undermines communities, blights town centres, and leaves people feeling unsafe. “Some town centres have been particularly hard hit with vandalism, harassment and abuse towards shoppers and staff, street drinking and drug dealing. “The Conservatives have turned their backs on communities struggling with antisocial behaviour – cutting neighbourhood police and cutting enforcement action. Time and again people report problems but no one comes and nothing is done. Labour won’t stand for that.
“The next Labour government will put neighbourhood police back on
the beat and make sure they have proper powers to act against
repeat antisocial behaviour offenders. Our action plan will
finally give communities the action and support they need.” Notes Labour’s Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan:
In 2014, the government introduced the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act - ending the use of ASBOs and other Labour government powers, downgrading enforcement powers and introducing a more limited set of powers such as anti-social behaviour injunctions that do not allow for an arrest when breached Tackling anti-social behaviour - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk) Respect Orders are stronger than antisocial behaviour injunctions and existing antisocial behaviour powers as they come with the power of arrest and criminal sanctions including Labour’s stronger community payback schemes. They are updated and more targeted than previous ASBOs, focused on adult offenders and repeat offending behaviour. Data on the use of the new powers is not centrally collected. However, recent FOIs from the BBC suggest that their use is sparing - with one in five local authorities never having used one of the key powers, the ‘community trigger’ - Is anti-social behaviour still seen 'as a bit of bother'? - BBC News In 2019, the previous Victims Commissioner and Conservative peer Baroness Newlove found examples of frontline staff ‘failing to appreciate the cumulative impact of persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) on its victims – with each incident being treated in isolation and the underlying causes being ignored’, and ‘a culture of playing-down ASB as being ‘low-level’; which in turn was leading to a failure to recognise the impact it was having on its victims’ – including their mental health, their ability to hold down employment or the strain on their family relationships. |