New ASBO-style Respect Orders come into force today, giving police and other authorities court powers to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour, with breaches punishable by up to two years in prison.
Policing minister Sarah Jones told The Mirror she expects forces to be rigorous in enforcing the orders, which she said should be used creatively. The measure, similar to the Tony Blair-era anti-social behaviour order (ASBO), can be applied for by police forces, councils and housing associations against relentless adult offenders.
Minister urges rigorous enforcement
Ms Jones said communities have been let down because chief constables lack the tools to deal with public nuisances like street drinking. She said: "Anti-social behaviour is something that really makes people feel like they're not safe in their own communities, and it has been seen as low-level in the past, and perhaps not resourced in the way that it should be."
She added: "We shouldn't normalise it, we should be tackling it." The minister said she will scrutinise chief constables to ensure they make good use of the new power, adding: "I suspect most police forces have a list of 15 to 20 people who they know Respect Orders are going to work for."
How the orders will work
Unlike ASBOs, the new orders will only be handed out to adults. They can include restrictions on where a person can go and ban them from repeating nuisance behaviour, but also include positive requirements such as compulsory drug and alcohol treatment and anger management training. Those who breach the orders could face unlimited fines and up to two years behind bars.
ASBOs were scrapped by the coalition government in 2014, but there have been calls to resurrect them. Asked if Respect Orders are ASBOs for the 21st century, Ms Jones said: "If you want to describe them as that, you can. What we're trying to do is bring the best of what worked under the ASBO system and the best of what's worked under some of the behaviour orders that we've had since, and put it together into one easy-to-use tool for the police."
Broad definition for creative use
Ms Jones said it would be down to public bodies and the courts to determine what kind of nuisance behaviour warrants a Respect Order. During the ASBO era, unusual examples included a woman penalised for having loud sex and a farmer accused of using a flock of sheep to intimidate his neighbours.
Pressed on what behaviour the government wants targeted, the minister said: "It's quite a broad definition, deliberately, because we want the police and other authorities to be able to think creatively about how they use it. What I would describe is perhaps regular street drinkers who cause chaos in our parks, people who are persistently aggressively begging, for example."
She also cited disruptive individuals in housing blocks, adding that Transport for London and British Transport Police can use the powers too. "Those are the kinds of people - the people that we all get really cross about, and we all are frustrated that nothing is done - those are the people that these Respect Orders are for," she said.
On the example of being ordered to stop having loud sex, Ms Jones said: "The behaviour will have to be persistent and disruptive, so I don't think we'll be going as far as the example that you quoted in terms of ASBOs."
Respect Orders will be uploaded to the Police National Computer. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Unchecked, anti-social behaviour blights our communities. But it is not inevitable and I won't accept it. For too long, we have lacked the powers we need to deal with this problem properly. From today, that changes: authorities will be able to take tough action against these offenders."
She added: "This delivers on a commitment we made to the British people in our manifesto. And, most importantly, those who make life a misery for others will now face the consequences of their actions."
