Member of Parliament for the City of Chester, Stephen Mosley, said:
“I think that the Home Office figures speak for themselves. The ASBO was brought in to deal with persistent offenders whose actions might not otherwise have been punished, but in reality, instead of dealing with these individuals, we have merely identified who they are.
They are not the preventative measure that was intended, neither are they rehabilitative, but merely a toothless measure for criminalising the individual.
Anti-social behaviour still blights our local communities, but the overly bureaucratic nature of the ASBO, along with the social stigma often attached to those served with an order, are issues that my colleagues at the Home Office will be reviewing.
We do need a change of direction in dealing with anti-social behaviour. A keener focus on people, communities and local police forces working together to tackle unlawful behaviour is what is required. We must move away from the top-down, one size fits all policy of the past.”
You could either lead with:
Home Secretary Theresa May has ordered a review of Asbos, saying it is
'time to move beyond the Asbo'.
She said it was time to 'stop tolerating' bad behaviour.
People did not report minor crime, she said, because they thought the
police 'wouldn't bother' to deal with complaints.
She wanted police to be able use their 'common sense' to deal with
anti-social behaviour,
Labour's measures for tackling anti-social behaviour were too
'bureaucratic'. More than half of Asbos in England and Wales were
breached in 2008, Home Office figures show.
Punishments should be 'rehabilitative and restorative'.
" We need a complete change in emphasis, with people and communities
working together to stop bad behaviour escalating. We need to make
anti-social behaviour what it once was - abnormal and something to stand
up to... rather than frequent and tolerated."
Ms May said alcohol misuse as a major cause of violence. Under her
proposals it will be easier for communities to influence licensing
decisions in England and Wales. Retailers selling alcohol to children
receiving tougher penalties.
Local authorities could be allowed to impose a late-night levy on bars
and clubs to pay the costs of policing, taxi marshalling and
street cleaning, There could be a ban on the sale of alcohol below cost
price.
Or
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10784060
30th July 2010 | 
