Action plan to crack down on anti social behaviour and restore pride in communities

PERPETRATORS of anti social behaviour will face swift and visible justice, increased fines and enhanced drug testing as part of a new crackdown that was launched by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on:- Monday, 27 March 2023.

Delivering on the Prime Minister's pledge earlier this year to clamp down on these crimes, the Anti Social Behaviour Action Plan will make sure this issue is treated with the urgency it deserves, establish a zero tolerance approach to all forms of anti social behaviour, and give the Police and local authorities the tools they need to tackle the problem.

Under the plan, 16 areas in England and Wales will be funded to support either new:- 'hotspot' Police and Enforcement Patrols in areas with the highest rates of anti social behaviour, or trial a new 'Immediate Justice' scheme to deliver swift and visible punishments. A select few areas will trial both interventions, and following these initial trailblazers, both schemes will be rolled out across England and Wales from 2024.

Hotspot trailblazer areas for anti social behaviour, including:- public transport, high streets or parks. The increased presence will help deter anti social behaviour, step up enforcement action against offenders, make sure crimes are punished more quickly and drive deterrence efforts, helping to stop anti social behaviour spiralling into more serious criminality.

Under the new Immediate Justice scheme, those found committing anti social behaviour will be made to repair the damage they inflicted on victims and communities, with an ambition for them to start work as soon as 48 hours after their offence so victims know anti social behaviour is treated seriously and with urgency.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:- "Anti social behaviour undermines the basic right of people to feel safe in the place they call home. The public have rightly had enough; which is why I am determined to restore people's confidence that those responsible will be quickly and visibly punished. This action plan maps out how we will tackle this issue with the urgency it deserves and stamp out these crimes once and for all; so that wherever you live, you can feel safe in, and proud of your community."

Offenders, who will be made to wear high vis vests or jumpsuits and work under supervision, could be made to pick up litter, remove graffiti and wash Police cars as punishment for their actions, and victims of anti social behaviour from the local community will be given a say in offenders' punishments to ensure justice is visible and fits the crime. The trailblazers will be launched as soon as possible and follow research that shows anti social behaviour is the main reason people do not feel safe in their local area.

Under the zero tolerance approach, Nitrous Oxide or "laughing gas" will also be banned to send a clear message to intimidating gangs, that hang around high streets and children's parks and litter them with empty canisters, they will not get away with this behaviour. The drug is now the third most used among 16 to 24 year olds in England and both the Police and public have repeatedly reported links between use of the drug and nuisance or anti social behaviour.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:- "The British public are fed up with crime and nuisance behaviour in their neighbourhoods inflicting misery on people. There is no such thing as petty crime; not only does anti social behaviour leave people feeling unsafe, it can also be a gateway into serious criminality. It has always been my priority to give Police the powers they need to deliver a common-sense approach to cutting crime, which puts the law-abiding majority 1st, and that's what this action plan delivers."

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove said:- "anti social behaviour erodes local pride, blights our high streets and parks and is a stain on too many communities across the country. We know that it is more likely to flourish in areas that have, for too long, been overlooked and undervalued. This Government was elected on a mandate to deliver change for those communities, and that is why the Anti social Behaviour Action Plan is critical. So we will intervene directly to prevent high street dereliction. We will deliver tougher, quicker and more visible justice to prevent thuggish behaviour in town centres and we will ensure young people have the opportunities and activities available to them to succeed; all backed by new investment. This is about acting on the people's priorities, delivering safer streets so we can level up across the country."

Police will also be given new powers to crack down on illegal drug use, often a catalyst for other crimes, including:- expanding powers for drug testing on arrest so more suspected criminals can be tested, and more drugs tested for, including ecstasy and methamphetamine. Currently, only suspected criminals who have committed certain offences can be tested in Police detention without additional requirements, but we will expand the range of trigger offences to include crimes linked to violence against women and girls, serious violence and anti social behaviour.

A new reporting tool will also be developed over the next 12 months to act as a digital 1 stop shop where people can quickly and easily report incidents of anti social behaviour when these occur. The tool will help address problems people have faced when trying to report these sorts of crimes because of a lack of clarity around how to raise an issue or who to speak to, or a lack of confidence that these crimes will be dealt with seriously.

As well as being able to report any type of anti social behaviour, people will have access through the tool to advice and guidance on what to do next in their cases and receive updates on what action is being taken by local Police and councils following a report being logged. As well as giving the public confidence that action is being taken, the tool will help support local agencies to share information on perpetrators within their local area more effectively, so they can more quickly identify repeat offenders and take the necessary action to prevent future crimes from happening in the 1st place

Other measures announced include:-

• Increasing the punishment for those who graffiti, litter or fly tip with fines of up to:- £500 and £1,000, Council League tables will be published for fly tipping, and we will work with the Office for Local Government to increase transparency and improve accountability on anti social behaviour outcomes.
   

• Giving landlords and housing associations more powers to evict unruly tenants who ruin their neighbours' lives through persistent noise or by being drunk and disorderly.
   

• Reopening empty shops by giving councils new powers to quickly take control and sell off empty buildings.
   

• An anti social behaviour Taskforce jointly led by the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up will bring together national and local partners, with a sole focus of addressing anti social behaviour and restoring pride in place in communities. This will bring together Police and Crime Commissioners, Police and local partners and agencies.
   

• An extra 1 million hours of youth services in areas with the highest rates of anti social behaviour to put people on the right track and prevent them from offending in the 1st place.
   

• Tackling the awful practice of 'cuckooing' or home invasion by engaging with stakeholders on the scope of a potential new criminal offence.
   

• Parks and green spaces will also be restored with up to £5 million to make them safer with new CCTV and repairing equipment and playgrounds, and to plant more trees and flowers.

Nobody should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live which is why Government committed to repealing the antiquated Vagrancy Act, passed in 1824. This comes alongside last year's unprecedented £2 billion commitment over 3 years to accelerate efforts to end rough sleeping for good.

It will be made an offence for criminal gangs to organise begging networks for extra cash, which is often used to facilitate illegal activities. To ensure Police and local councils can address activity which is intimidating or causes the public distress, they will have the tools to direct people causing nuisance on the street, including obstructing shop doorways and begging by cash points, towards the support they need, such as accommodation, mental health or substance misuse services. The debris and paraphernalia which causes blight will then be cleared.

The Government has also today announced that an additional 43 youth centres are to benefit from the next £90 million investment from the Youth Investment Fund, distributed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. As a result, 45,000 more young people a year will have access to state of the art facilities and regular, out of School activities, as part of an overall £300 million to be distributed through 2025. From Lincolnshire to Liverpool, Peterborough to Portsmouth, the Government's National Youth Guarantee will support the wellbeing of young people in some of the country's most underserved areas, giving them opportunities to develop vital skills for life, and empowering them to be active members of their community.

The new cross-Government action plan builds on the Government's focus to deliver common sense policing, backed by an unprecedented recruitment drive of 20,000 additional officers by the end of March, which we are on track to achieve. It works in tandem with our priorities to drive down murder rates, tackle serious violence; including against both women and girls; and solve and prevent more burglaries.

Neighbourhood crimes like burglary, robbery and theft have dropped by 24% since December 2019 but Government wants this driven down further and to see more burglaries solved, which is why the Home Secretary called for Police forces in England and Wales to send an officer to attend every domestic burglary.

The Government has also funded 216 projects via rounds 1 and 2 of the Levelling Up Fund, totally £3.8 billion, which is driving the regeneration of town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport and investing cultural and heritage assets.

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Merseyside PCC says extra Government funding to tackle ASB and for youth services much needed, but "too little, too late"

MERSEYSIDE'S Police Commissioner has welcomed the announcement of much needed additional Government funding to tackle ASB and for 3 youth services in Liverpool, but says the money is:- "too little, too late" to tackle the issues created by 13 years of austerity.

Minister have announced they will provide 2 years of funding to Merseyside to introduce new measures focused on punishing offenders of ASB and making them repair the damage they have caused. Additional funding has also been awarded to 3 youth services in Liverpool.

While welcoming the desperately needed extra money for the Region, the Police Commissioner says after more than decade of austerity, this announcement barely:- "scratches the surface" of the issue and does not go far enough to tackle the root causes of offending.

Instead, the Police Commissioner says the Government needs to commit to providing long term, sustained investment in young people and families across the entire Region to prevent ASB in the 1st place.

There is also still no news on replacing Merseyside Police's 450 Missing Officers, despite repeated calls from the Region's Police Commissioner.

Merseyside's Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said:- "I always welcome any much needed additional funding for our Region, but today's announcement is simply too little, too late. After 13 years of savage cuts to policing and our community safety partners, the ASB which is blighting our communities is a problem of the Government's own making. Yet this money will barely scratch the surface. They are trying to put a sticking plaster on a what is a deep-rooted and serious issue. ASB is not low level. It has a hugely detrimental impact on our communities and people on Merseyside have told me they want it dealing with as a priority. If we are genuinely going to change things for the better for our communities, we need our missing 450 Police officers back, so can continue to build back up our neighbourhood teams. Crucially, we also need serious, long term, sustained investment in the wider intervention work with partners which is focused on giving young people better opportunities and preventing them getting drawn into ASB in the 1st place. This investment should be provided for all areas of Merseyside, and it should be allocated after proper engagement with local leaders so we can ensure every penny is maximised for the benefit of communities across our Region. I will work closely with partners to make sure the money we have been awarded is used as carefully as possibly to build stronger, safer communities across Merseyside."