This child has a four-year ban.
Following the banning of an
11-year-old boy from 80 streets in his home town of Wolverhampton, BBC
News Online asks if anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) are working.
West Midlands police have trumpeted the effectiveness of ASBOs after
their tough action against neighbourhood nuisance Lukon Straker hit the
national headlines. If the 11-year-old enters any of the named streets
within the Low Hill area of the town, he faces five years in prison.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Bullas, of West Midlands police, told
BBC Radio Five Live: "We've got a very positive experience as a force
with ASBOs and they've worked very well.
Charity attacks boy's behaviour ban
"We have a dedicated crime team for this particular neighbourhood and
we will have the resources to deal with any breaches."
He said an order was only used after other measures had been tried,
such as work with youth offending teams, schools and social services.
Camden borough in north London has some of the capital's most
deprived areas.
Five ASBOs have been given to youths there, with five more in the
pipeline.
Ian Walker, co-ordinator of the council's anti-social behaviour
action group, told BBC News Online they had been well received. He said:
"The community likes them and wants the protection of them. Before, the
police had no real tool to address the problems - the ASBO is the tool."
Ban on friendships
The offences generally range from the "sub-criminal" such as swearing
at police, to the serious, like assault or racial harassment.
A first warning takes the form of an "acceptable behaviour contract",
which is signed by the youth, his parents and police, and is not
enforced by legislation.
Camden's five ASBOs entailed restricting access to certain parts of
estates, a ban on associating with certain other people and a general
good behaviour clause. One of the recipients has left the borough, two
have behaved themselves, one is involved in minor offences and the other
in serious crime.
Mr Walker said the police and housing officers identified and
monitored the troublemakers, helped by witnesses and CCTV.
But in other parts of the country, there are doubts about how well
the orders can be enforced.
Five Live reporter Christian Fraser has been spending a week living
in East End Park, Leeds. He said the area suffered nightly from
vandalism and rowdy behaviour, ranging from youngsters kicking a
football against a car to more serious offences such as smashing windows
and throwing petrol bombs.
Progress
Magistrates have issued at least 20 ASBOs in the past fortnight, but
he said the perception is that police were fighting a losing battle.
Some of those subject to the orders were ignoring them without
punishment, he found.
One resident said: "The staff at the school know these children and
work very hard to make them mend their ways. But they need the help of
the parents and some parents will not provide that help, so what chance
have the teachers?"
Disruptive behaviour can be too minor for prosecution. But police
believe they are making progress.
Chief Superintendent Andy Rennison, commander for that part of Leeds,
said his team applied an iron fist in a velvet glove. He said: "At the
more serious end of anti-social behaviour, there's only one way I can
deal with that and it's to go in and deal with it in the toughest way
possible.
"The velvet glove is knocking on all the doors of the residents down
there and saying 'If you have got something to tell us, please tell us.
If you haven't (got evidence), don't worry, we'll gather the evidence."
