[Continued from New Measures To Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour: Part 2]
Councils and the police now have more powers and tools to deal with anti-social behaviour than ever before. These include:
Acceptable behaviour contracts
Acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) are non-legally binding written contracts between one or more local agency and someone who has behaved anti-socially, outlining what that person should or should not do. They are often used with children and young people, but can equally be used for adults, when a warning has been unsuccessful in addressing a problem.
Anti-social behaviour injunctions
An injunction is a
civil order made by the county court to compel an adult (over the age of 18) to
do something, or to prevent a particular action or behaviour. They can be
applied for by social landlords against tenants, owner-occupiers and
non-tenants. Injunctions are used when someone is committing anti-social
behaviour, including noise nuisance, verbal abuse, visitors causing nuisance to
neighbours, untidy gardens and threats of violence or actual violence.
Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs)
Anti-social behaviour orders are civil orders that protect the public from behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. ASBOs are not criminal penalties, but breach of an ASBO is a criminal offence. They can be made on anyone aged 10 or over who has displayed anti-social behaviour in the previous six months. They are intended to protect the public from further anti-social behaviour.
Family intervention projects
When an agency has
received numerous complaints about the behaviour of a family and the impact
they're having on their local community, they can use a family intervention
project to work with that family to change their behaviour. The family is
offered help to address the causes of their behaviour, along with supervision
and enforcement to ensure they change it.
Community agreements
Community agreements are written settlements reached between the residents of a community to resolve disputes. The agreement is based on the wishes of the majority, and facilitated by independent mediators who make private and confidential visits to each person involved. They are used when there is conflict or unrest within a neighbourhood.
Visit www.respect.gov.uk for more information on all the powers and tools available to combat anti-social behaviour.
