‘Complex and bureaucratic’ asbos facing axe
Speaking at Coin Street community centre in London, Ms May said she favoured simpler sanctions, which are easier to obtain and enforce, over powers inherited from Labour such as the antisocial behaviour order (asbo)
Her comments come as Home Office statistics for 2008 showed that asbo breach rates have again increased with more than half breached at least once and 40% breached more than once. The statistics also showed that their use has fallen for the third year running and are now at an all time low.
‘Too often with the old approach, sanctions were not followed through,’ said Ms May. ‘Ineffective orders were issued, then breached. Fines were issued, but not enforced. People got away with it – and the victims knew it.’
Ms May said sanctions like the asbo were complex and bureaucratic and expensive. She added that they often criminalised young people unnecessarily, acting as ‘a conveyor belt to serious crime and prison’.
Ms May said that a centralised approach imposed from Whitehall was not the best way of dealing with a local problem and these sanctions had in fact become part of the problem. She claimed people experiencing antisocial behaviour were becoming more reliant on the government’s help instead of finding solutions themselves.
‘The solution to your community’s problems will not come from officials sitting in the Home Office working on the latest national action plan,’ said Ms May. ‘They will come from the homes of our citizens, from the heads of our police officers, council employees and housing associations, and from the hearts of our social workers’
Joanne Kent-Smith, senior policy and practice officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), welcomed the review and said the home secretary’s views echoed those of many social landlords.
But she said CIH would 'strongly caution against removing tools which are currently being used to good effect and are protecting communities'.
And she added: ‘The importance of close working relationships between the police, housing providers and other local community agencies should not be underestimated if public confidence and social l responsibility is to be enhanced.
‘Essentially there should be adequate resources in place locally to both support victims and witnesses of antisocial behaviour, and to identify and prioritise those at greatest risk.’
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