A report examined the role of community conferencing in tackling anti-social behaviour in England and Wales. (Community conferencing is a process for resolving disputes and conflict in the community.)
Source: Jenny Ewels and Anne Curran, Community Conferencing in England and Wales, Crime Concern (01925 577122)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Dec
The Prime Minister confirmed reports that plans for a 'Respect Bill' (dealing with anti-social behaviour and the decline of civility) had been downgraded to a Home Office action plan, to be published early in 2006.
Source: The Guardian, 13 December 2005
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
The government announced that the Environment Agency would be given powers to apply for anti-social behaviour orders to tackle environmental crime such as vandalism, noise nuisance, and fly-tipping.
Source: Press release 20 December 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Dec
A study found that more than a third of children aged under 17 issued with anti-social behaviour orders had a diagnosed mental illness or learning difficulty.
Source: Press release 2 November 2005, British Institute for Brain Injured Children (01278 684060)
Links: BIBIC press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A report called for a more balanced approach of prevention and enforcement to tackle anti-social behaviour. Eviction of anti-social tenants only displaced the problem, rather than addressing it. An alternative solution would be to tackle anti-social behaviour through intensive and challenging family support programmes.
Source: George McNamara, Tackling Anti-social Behaviour: Have we got it right?, NCH (0845 762 6579)
Links: Report | NCH press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A progress report was published on the first year of operation of anti-social behaviour orders in Scotland.
Source: Standing Up to Antisocial Behaviour, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SE press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A survey found that 63 per cent of respondents wanted street crime reduced; 55 per cent wanted to see local drug problems cleaned up; 55 per cent wanted 'binge drinking' reduced; and 54 per cent wanted to see 'yob culture' tackled.
Source: Press release 28 September 2005, Community Service Volunteers (020 7278 6601)
Links: CSV press release
Date: 2005-Sep
The government announced the creation of a new cross-governmental Respect Task Force, with direct responsibility for delivering policies on anti-social behaviour, and for encouraging respect for public servants and services - including teachers and schools, health and emergency services, and the police.
Source: Press release 2 September 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release
Date: 2005-Sep
The Prime Minister highlighted the responsibilities of parents in tackling anti-social behaviour. He proposed that 'parenting contracts' and 'parenting orders' should be used more widely.
Source: Speech by Tony Blair MP (Prime Minister), 2 September 2005
Links: Text of speech | Downing Street press release
Date: 2005-Sep
The High Court ruled that police curfew powers did not allow for the banning of a young person from designated areas by force, irrespective of whether they might be likely to engage in anti-social behaviour.
Source: The Guardian, 21 July 2005
Links: Guardian report | Liberty press release | NCB press release | Community Care report
Date: 2005-Jul
A new book provided a critique of the government's use of the concept of anti-social behaviour, and of youth justice strategy more generally.
Source: Peter Squires and Dawn Stephen, Rougher Justice: Anti-social behaviour and young people, Willan Publishing (01884 840337)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Jul
A study looked at national attitudes to anti-social behaviour and what measures had been taken to tackle it in three case-study neighbourhoods. Anti-social behaviour was found to have a significant impact on the lives of a minority of people, particularly in areas of social deprivation and inner cities. However, it had little or no effect on the quality of life of the majority of the population. The government should consider shifting the emphasis of its campaign against anti-social behaviour to show it could tackle the underlying causes, as well as taking a hard line with perpetrators.
Source: Andrew Millie, Jessica Jacobson, Eraina McDonald and Mike Hough, Anti-social Behaviour Strategies: Finding a balance, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0305 | JRF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
An inspectorate report examined the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service in dealing with 'social impact crime' and anti-social behaviour.
Source: Bringing Back Quality of Life to Our Communities, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (020 7210 1197)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | HMCPSI press release (pdf) | CPS press release
Date: 2005-Jun
Statistics were published on the number of anti-social behaviour orders for the period April 1999 to December 2004. They suggested a sharp acceleration in the number of orders being granted.
Source: Press release 29 June 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: ASBO statistics | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on anti-social behaviour.
Source: Anti-Social Behaviour: The Government Reply to the Fifth Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2004-05 HC 80, Cm 6588, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | MPs report
Date: 2005-Jun
A report presented findings from the first phase of a 3-year monitoring project on anti-social behaviour orders in Scotland.
Source: DTZ Pieda Consulting and Heriot Watt University, Use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders in Scotland, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Apr
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act was given Royal assent. The Act contained a range of measures to improve the quality of the local environment, by giving local authorities and the Environment Agency additional powers to deal with problems such as fly-tipped waste, litter, nuisance alleys, fly-posting and graffiti, abandoned and nuisance vehicles, and noise.
Source: Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | DEFRA press release | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Apr
A report by a committee of MPs said that the balance of the government's strategy on anti-social behaviour was "about right": but that the strategy was being undermined by different philosophies, methods and tactics amongst key players. In particular, some social services departments, local educational authorities, and other agencies for children and young people were often not fully committed to local strategies for tackling anti-social behaviour.
Source: Anti-Social Behaviour, Fifth Report (Session 2004-05), HC 80, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Home Office press release | CSF press release | Nacro press release | NYA press release | LGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Apr
A report said that the issuing of anti-social behaviour orders by the courts was inconsistent and "almost a geographical lottery". There was great concern that people were being jailed following the breach of an order where the original offence was itself non-imprisonable; and that orders were being used where people had mental health problems where treatment would be more appropriate. The report called for a fundamental review of the use and appropriateness of the orders.
Source: Harry Fletcher, Anti-social Behaviour Orders: Analysis of the first six years, National Association of Probation Officers (020 7223 4887)
Links: Report | NAPO press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Apr
An independent evaluation said that a project had succeeded in helping people who faced eviction because of their behaviour, or who were the subject of other enforcement action such as anti-social behaviour orders.
Source: Centre for Housing Policy/University of York, Shelter Inclusion Project: Two Years On, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Report (pdf) | Shelter press release
Date: 2005-Apr
The government published guidance encouraging local councils to use publicity to help enforce individual anti-social behaviour orders. A children's charity expressed concern that this could result in serious harm to children.
Source: Press release 1 March 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585) | Press release 1 March 2005, NCH (0845 762 6579)
Links: Home Office press release | NCH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
A report said that straightforward administrative failures continued to undermine the action taken by local councils when dealing with neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour.
Source: Neighbour Nuisance and Anti-social Behaviour, Commission for Local Administration in England (020 7217 4620)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A review of 100 of the most difficult nuisance neighbour cases by the Home Office anti-social neighbour nuisance expert panel found that 39 per cent of families and individuals targeted reported that enforcement action had helped change their behaviour for the better.
Source: Press release 14 February 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Feb
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill was given a second reading. The Bill contained a package of measures to give local authorities and the Environment Agency more powers to deal with fly-tippers and litter droppers.
Source: Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 10 January 2005, columns 40-131, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC Library research paper (pdf) | DEFRA press release | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Jan
The 2003 Crime and Justice Survey (a new national survey covering around 12,000 people aged 10-65 living in private household in England and Wales) found that 29 per cent of young people said they had committed at least one act of anti-social behaviour in the previous year. The most common anti-social behaviour was causing a public disturbance (15 per cent), followed by causing neighbour complaints (13 per cent). More serious incidents such as joyriding and carrying a weapon were much less common. Over a third (35 per cent) of young people aged 10-15 had experienced at least one personal crime in the previous 12 months: this was about the same level as for those aged 16-25 (32 per cent), and well above those aged 26-65 (14 per cent).
Source: Ruth Hayward and Clare Sharp, Young People, Crime and Antisocial Behaviour: Findings from the 2003 Crime and Justice Survey, Research Findings 245, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Martin Wood, The Victimisation of Young People: Findings from the Crime and Justice Survey 2003, Research Findings 246, Home Office
Links: Findings 245 (pdf) | Findings 246 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan