Latest Stories

Social landlords warn against getting rid of ASBOs
06/09/10: The ASBO remains the only available measure to address serious anti-social behaviour by juveniles, a group of 15 social landlords from the north of England has warned the government ahead of a consultation.

Home Secretary bans Bradford march by English Defence League
20/08/10: The Home Secretary has agreed to Bradford City Council's request to ban a proposed march by the English Defence League (EDL) scheduled for the bank holiday weekend (28th August) on the grounds of public safety.

Government to introduce new temporary bans for 'legal highs'
20/08/10: The government has announced that it will introduce new 12-month temporary bans for use against so-called 'legal highs' to enable the authorities to respond more quickly to apparently dangerous substances being used as drugs.

ACPO warns local authorities and RSLs as number of cannabis farms doubles
20/08/10: ACPO has urged local authorities and social landlords to better monitor their empty housing stock as new figures show that the number of cannabis factories more than doubled in the past two years to 6800.

Partners in crime
Under the standards set by the TSA social landlords not only have to tackle anti-social behaviour but also provide evidence of how they are meeting their obligations. Mark Smulian reports.

RIPA reviewed
The government has promised a review of RIPA and to limit local authorities’ use of its powers to stopping serious crime. Ibrahim Hasan assesses what this means for councils.

Judicial Appointments Commission seeks volunteers for quality assurance tests
The Judicial Appointments Commission is inviting people with experience of the crime or family jurisdictions to help it with quality assurance of the qualifying tests for the District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) 2010 selection exercise.

Alcoholic sent to Old Bailey after opening beer in breach of ASBO: report
An alcoholic who breached his anti-social behaviour order by opening a can of lager in public has appeared before an Old Bailey judge, the London Evening Standard has reported.

Local authority loses school catchment surveillance case
Poole Borough Council has apologised to a mother and her family after the Investigatory Powers Tribunal ruled that a three-week period of directed surveillance conducted by the local authority was unlawful.

Going undercover
Significant changes to the way councils conduct covert surveillance are imminent. Ibrahim Hasan looks at the impact on local authorities.

"It's time to move beyond the ASBO," says Home Secretary
The Home Secretary has launched a wholesale review of anti-social behaviour powers, claiming that “it’s time to move beyond the ASBO”. Theresa May promised sanctions that would be easier to obtain and enforce.

First police commissioner elections in May 2012, says Home Secretary
Elections for police and crime commissioners could take place as early as May 2012 under plans announced by the Home Office. The government said the reforms would make the police more responsive to local people.

The demon drink
Drink banning orders are a relatively new tool in the armoury of the police and local authorities. Stuart Penswick looks at what they entail.

LCJ attacks powers to enter homes, adversarial system in children cases
The Lord Chief Justice has expressed concern over councils’ powers to enter people’s homes without a warrant. Lord Judge also questioned whether the adversarial system was right in cases deciding the future of children.

Train public sector workers in ASB conflict resolution, says RSA
Police-centred approaches to tackling anti-social behaviour have only had limited success and low level ASB could better be tackled by providing conflict resolution training for public sector workers, the RSA has said.

Government rejects call for investigation into youth dispersal equipment
The government has ruled out an investigation into the use of ultrasonic anti-social behaviour deterrent devices, despite calls from the Council of Europe for a ban. Home Office minister Nick Herbert said it was a matter for local agencies.

The FIPs don't work, says leading academic
Family intervention projects (FIPs) were not the success in the last decade that the Labour government claimed, according to a report published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.

Partnership working on ASB must be improved, say housing providers
Partnerships between the social housing sector on one side and adult services, child and adult mental health services on the other need to be improved to tackle anti-social behaviour, a survey of housing providers has revealed.

Government to force bars and pubs to pay for policing and ASB measures
The government is planning to require pubs and bars that stay open after 11 pm to pay a “law and order” levy, according to press reports. This would run alongside new powers to reduce the number of outlets selling alcohol.

Birmingham agencies put CCTV project on hold
A controversial CCTV project in Birmingham has been put on hold after a string of complaints. The project - which saw 218 cameras placed in areas with large Muslim populations – will not be switched on until after public consultation.

ECHR launches disability-harassment inquiry, warns of enforcement action
Local authorities and a range of other public sector bodies are to be the subject of an Equalities and Human Rights Commission inquiry into whether they are fulfilling their legal duties to prevent disabled people from being harassed.

Applying the brakes
The High Court recently granted an injunction to a council to help it to restrain the activity of “car-cruisers”. Jonathan Manning explains.

Needs must
Varying ASBO terms only needs necessity for public protection to be shown, according to a recent High Court ruling. Stuart Penwick looks at the judgement.

CIH issues new guidance for social landlords on tackling anti-social behaviour
The Chartered Institute for Housing has developed new guidance for social housing providers on how they can use the powers available to them to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Behaviour change
The law underpinning anti-social behaviour measures has had some interesting updates in court in the past year, writes Jack Anderson.

Department for Transport issues revised guidance on taxi licensing
The Department for Transport this week published revised guidance on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, follow consultation with licensing authorities and other interested parties.

Leading thinktank calls for councils to be given control of prison budgets
Budgets for prison places should be devolved from central government to local authorities, a leading thinktank has argued, in order to “remove the perverse incentive to put young people in prison”.

Local authorities to review taxi licensing guidelines after BBC expose
A number of councils in the West Midlands have said they will review their guidelines for licensing taxi drivers after an investigation by a BBC programme revealed that some 209 people with criminal convictions have received a licence.

Neighbourhood Watch
Police resources should be put towards the priorities of local people, argues James Morris of Localis.

New life for ASBOs?
The Home Secretary’s vow to put anti-social behaviour at the top of his agenda is unlikely to make much of a difference, writes Nicholas Cobill.

Watching brief
The “Pubwatch” case shows how drinking problems in private premises can be tackled. But, warns Tom Cross, there are circumstances where such a banning scheme could be challenged.

Blurring the lines
The Coroners & Justice Bill 2009 aims to deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive coronial system. Fiona Butler examines the wider scope inquests can take and how local authorities should be prepared.

Government paves way for new measures to tackle anti-social behaviour
Ministers have signalled that further measures to tackle anti-social behaviour are in the offing after research revealed that only 19% of residents in priority areas believe the problem has got better in the last twelve months.

See all articles in this section