Shame as nearly two thirds of Asbos are breached

More than 2,500 orders (Asbos) were issued between 2000 and the end of 2009, but in some parts of the region 65 per cent of them were broken.

The latest Home Office figures suggest police forces and councils have increasingly moved away from applying for the orders, which can ban offenders from certain areas or activities, amid controversy over their effectiveness.

Ministers have already signalled the end of the Asbo, with more emphasis on transforming communities so as to deter behaviour reaching a stage where orders are necessary, and last night officials seized on the new figures to criticise the current powers.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “As the Home Secretary has said, the current tools and powers for dealing with anti-social behaviour are too bureaucratic and don’t work effectively. These statistics on Asbos, for example, show that 56 per cent of those issued have been breached, many more than once.”

The figures reveal that 281 out of 596 Asbos were breached in Humberside, 106 out of 170 in North Yorkshire, 280 out of 459 in South Yorkshire and 889 out of 1,374 in West Yorkshire. Across the region, 1,216 Asbos were breached on more than one occasion.

But in most areas the number of Asbos handed out has also fallen significantly in recent years. In West Yorkshire only 126 were handed out in 2009, down from a peak of 305 in 2004. In South Yorkshire, 35 were given out in 2009, down each year since 2005, when there were 104.

The orders were introduced under Tony Blair’s Labour Government as a civil measure in response to complaints of low level offending which blighted neighbourhoods, although breaching them is a criminal offence which can see yobs dragged back to court. In some areas posters have been circulated with pictures of offenders but critics claim Asbos are often regarded as a “badge of honour”.

Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough MP David Blunkett, who was an ardent supporter of anti-social behaviour legislation during his time as Home Secretary, said: “The irony of these statistics is that the Asbo has been properly monitored and the breaches registered to allow follow-up action.

“Past criticisms of measures to stop anti-social behaviour were the lack of the follow-up and the failure to take action on breaches – which demonstrates vividly the impossibility of satisfying critics who want it both ways.

“The fact that the individual has breached the Asbo only serves to demonstrate why they were served with it in the first place.”

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police said: “Anti-social behaviour can make people’s lives a misery if not tackled at the earliest opportunity, however, there are a number of measures in place to deal with the issue in West Yorkshire.

“Local councils and other partners work closely with the police to look at the best ways to deal with individuals who are causing disruption to the community. This could be through enforcement or intervention measures dependent on the circumstances of the case.

“Anti-social behaviour contracts are used by police and partners as an effective intervention tool. In many cases this approach has prevented individuals from reoffending. For those that continue to offend, an Asbo can be applied for.”

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