Hooligans who wreak havoc on local communities will face tough
restrictions under new powers announced by the Home Secretary
today.
Meeting a manifesto pledge to crack down on anti-social
behaviour, the new Respect Orders will give the police and local
councils powers to ban persistent offenders from town centres or
from drinking in public spots such as high streets and local
parks, where they have caused misery to local people. These will
be piloted prior to national rollout to make sure they are as
effective as possible.
Perpetrators can also be required to address the root cause of
their behaviour by being mandated to undertake positive
rehabilitation, such as attending drug or alcohol treatment
services, or an anger management course to address the underlying
causes of their behaviour.
Failure to comply with Respect Orders will be a criminal offence.
Police will have the ability to immediately arrest anybody who is
breaching their Respect Order.
Police will also be given stronger powers to seize vehicles
involved in anti-social behaviour will also be strengthened, with
officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing the
vehicles which bring misery to local communities.
This will allow police to deal more swiftly with the scourge of
off-road bikes in public parks and dangerous e-scooters on
pavements, street racing and cruising. It will also assist the
police in tackling car meets, which can see hundreds of cars
gather in public spaces that often include loud aggressive engine
revving and intimidating music.
Home Secretary, said:
Too many town centres and neighbourhoods across our country are
being plagued by anti-social behaviour, be it street drinking,
harassment or vandalism on the high street or noisy and
intimidating off-road bikes terrorising our estates.
Antisocial behaviour chips away at communities' sense of
confidence and pride, undermines local businesses and can have a
devastating impact on victims.
This cannot be allowed to continue. Respect Orders will give
police and councils the powers they need to crack down on
repeated anti-social behaviour, keeping our communities safe and
ensuring repeat offenders face the consequences of their actions.
We will also make it easier to seize the vehicles causing misery
in too many neighbourhoods, including deafening off-road bikes or
e-scooters ridden dangerously on the pavement.
These new powers alongside thousands more neighbourhood officers
and PCSOs will help this government deliver on our mission to
take back our streets.
As well as prison sentences of up to two years, criminal courts
will also be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders,
such as unpaid work, and curfews as punishment for breaching a
Respect Order. This will ensure that the most serious offenders
are dealt with before their behaviour can escalate and cause
further harm.
The new powers will be introduced as part of the forthcoming
Crime and Policing Bill, partially replacing existing Civil
Injunction powers for adults, to ensure a wider range of
penalties as breaches will be dealt with in the criminal courts,
alongside the new power of arrest. Existing legislation will
be amended to allow the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes -
and other vehicles which are used in an anti-social manner -
without having to first give a warning to the offender.
Enhanced powers will complement the government's commitment to
restoring neighbourhood policing in England and Wales. The
Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will bring back police patrols
to town centres, recruit thousands of additional officers to
neighbourhood roles and ensure every community has a named local
officer to turn to.
Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet, National Police Chiefs'
Council Lead for Anti-Social Behaviour, said:
I welcome the introduction of Respect Orders and stronger powers
to seize vehicles being driven in an anti-social manner.
Respect Orders will give the police and councils the ability
crack down on those who persistently make our streets and public
spaces feel unsafe. I am pleased to see the ability to ban
offenders from our high street and parks, with a power of arrest
for those who ignore such direction, as well as the power to
require individuals to seek help for underlying causes of their
poor behaviour such as drug or alcohol misuse.
Similarly, giving officers the option to immediately seize
vehicles from those who use their vehicle in an anti-social
manner is welcome addition to the powers available to officers to
crack down on ASB and make our street safer.
Harvinder Saimbhi, ASB Help CEO said:
As the national charity that supports victims of ASB, we
regularly hear from victims who share with us the impact and harm
they experience from repeated incidents of ASB.
We welcome the approach of addressing the root causes of the
anti-social behaviour which will in turn work towards reducing
reoffending rates, therefore bringing respite to victims and
communities. We are keen to see how the respect orders will be
implemented.
