| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Britain | |
| UK cities become 'no-go areas' after dark | |
| 2007-07-25 | |
| Growing anti-social behaviour has turned Britain’s cities and towns into “no-go areas” after dark, the chairman of an influential parliamentary committee said on Tuesday. Dealing with louts and tearways costs £3.4 billion a year, but the Home Office has still not discovered the most effective way to tackle the problem, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said. “No civilised country should have to put up with what can seem like an occupying army loose in the streets,” said PAC Chairman Edward Leigh. “After dark, our cities and towns are fast becoming no-go areas, with behaviour there ranging from drunken skylarking and intimidation, to out and out criminal activity.” Dealing with anti-social behaviour is a priority issue for the Labour government. Leigh said it had introduced “a barrage” of new powers for the police and local authorities. But the PAC said the Home Office had no idea which of these measures were the most effective. National Audit Office research last December examined 893 cases involving three powers - ASBOs (anti-social behaviour orders), acceptable behaviour contracts and warning letters. The study found that in 65 percent of cases individuals desisted from nuisance behaviour after one intervention. However, more than half of those given ASBOs broke the terms of their orders while one individual, with 271 criminal convictions, contravened his ASBO on 25 occasions.
| |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #16 I echo that sentiment, TW! It is truly great to be back for all of us (I came back last week). |
| Posted by: BA 2007-07-25 18:54 |
| #15 Welcome back, rhodesiafever! It's been like Old Home Week, so many have been stopping by after a long absence. :-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-07-25 17:25 |
| #14 Firstly, may I say how good to be back, and "Hello" to old friends, you know who you are. Now to address what Mr Leigh has high-lighted. Sorry to disappoint, but the problem he moots is, (unless one is is in a distinct No-Go Area), deprived ethnic British, who see an influx of non-integrating gangsters claiming benefits we can only dream about. Unfortunately, these ASBO people do not discriminate, (very PC of them, I'm sure), and will club anyone who gets a taxi before them. It is a problem. With millions living in such a confined space as the UK, the odds are you will have them living next door to you, but not if your name's Edward Leigh or Gordon Brown . |
| Posted by: rhodesiafever 2007-07-25 16:46 |
| #13 three powers - ASBOs (anti-social behaviour orders), acceptable behaviour contracts and warning letters. I assume these orders are similiar to restraining orders in the U.S. Restraining orders don't seem to be very effective. There are cities in the U.S. that are dangerous--the ethnic profile of the thug might be different but a thug is a thug when you are getting mugged. Personally, I seldom leave home without a firearm. I've only had to use it one time to prevent a crime. I did not have to fire the firearm at the time just pull it out and be ready. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-07-25 12:27 |
| #12 Clockwork Orange? |
| Posted by: RWV 2007-07-25 11:36 |
| #11 Shooting anyone not in their homes after 10pm would be a good deterrent. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-07-25 11:25 |
| #10 For a while "move to the country and get armed" is a good defensive posture, but eventually you wind up with places like zimbob where the lawlessness is everywhere and yes, defending yourself from it is the only crime... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-07-25 10:45 |
| #9 So, I gather from this that the UK has become a micro-version of the UN. Nuttin' but grand swarees and sternly-worded letters™ |
| Posted by: BA 2007-07-25 10:09 |
| #8 The UK has always had laws to control this kind of behavior. "Are there no workhouses? Are there no jails." UK powers that be refuse to jail the louts who deserve it. Anarcho-tyranny is a system of government where criminals are not punished but non-criminals are, of for no other reason than it's easier to go after people who arenÂ’t criminals. In the US, the crime rate fell as the incarcerated percentage of the population rose. Of course, that statistic is merely a coincidence. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-07-25 09:52 |
| #7 Dear kindly Judge, your Honor, My parents treat me rough. With all their marijuana, They won't give me a puff. They didn't wanna have me, But somehow I was had. Leapin' lizards! That's why I'm so bad! Officer Krupke, you're really a square; This boy don't need a judge, he needs an analyst's care! It's just his neurosis that oughta be curbed. He's psychologic'ly disturbed! |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-07-25 08:35 |
| #6 Try yelling "trick or treat" at them. Prolly just as effective, and you don't need legislation to do it. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2007-07-25 08:28 |
| #5 I thought things like this only happened in "gun happy America"? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-07-25 08:00 |
| #4 ASBOs (anti-social behaviour orders), acceptable behaviour contracts and warning letters Is it wrong to interpret all of these as "spineless pandering"? |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-07-25 07:59 |
| #3 So this is what happens with a society comes apart due to a lack of cohesion. I'm afraid it is. You see similar situations right across Europe where there are high levels of immigrants. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-07-25 04:35 |
| #2 So this is what happens with a society comes apart due to a lack of cohesion. |
| Posted by: gromky 2007-07-25 03:21 |
| #1 Make it legal to carry. |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-07-25 02:54 |