Jacqui Smith - What planet are you living on?

You know, if I didn't know better, I would applaud Jacqui Smith's speech in Westminster today. However I do know better. She claims that the number of ASBOs issued has come down. There is a good reason for this - To get an ASBO you generally have to have been nicked several times for antisocial offences. However seeing as the government introduced "Fixed penalty notices" (£80 fine), you don't often get nicked for being antisocial. 32,000 notices were handed out last year, which is a massive increase on previous years:

Alan Gordon, vice-chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says: "Let’s look at the reality of fixed penalty notices. Currently a third go unpaid and those who receive them get no criminal conviction. The Sentencing Advisory Panel suggestion that shoplifters (for example) could avoid jail no matter how many times they commit the offence is a disgrace. It sends out the wrong message at a time when the police and the public alike are sick to death of a criminal justice system which is far too lenient on those who break the law.

So if your crime is not going on record you are not likely to get an ASBO. Not only that, but if the offender agrees to be bound by an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) they will be told that they have been very naughty and get a slapped wrist (no fine). Actually I'm exaggerating, if they were to get a slapped wrist the officer involved would be sacked and had up for assault. Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said:

"It is bad enough such serious crimes are effectively being punished with a glorified parking ticket. Now we learn the government won't even bother to collect the fine."

And it gets much, much worse. This is from Hansard written answers:

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what the Crown Prosecution Service's policy is on bringing prosecutions against young people for breach of anti-social behaviour contracts; and if she will make a statement.

The Solicitor-General: An acceptable behaviour contract is a preliminary, non-statutory intervention designed to tackle low level antisocial behaviour. Non-compliance cannot constitute a criminal offence that the Crown Prosecution Service could prosecute. The Crown Prosecution Service does not, therefore, have a policy on prosecutions against young people for breach of such contracts.

So Jacqui, reported crime is down and so are the number of ASBOs being issued. It's not really that surprising is it? Labour tough on crime - tough on manipulating the figures relating to crime. That's why you keep telling us that reported crime going down, while we in the real world see it going up.

Gordon Brown - Pull Your Finger Out!

Gordon Brown has promised intensive action and tougher enforcement of the law in areas with a gang violence problem. He also promised to crack down on the sale of alcohol to under-18's and that he would put more police on the streets. Well it's about time, but are these just more of Labour's empty gestures? reacting to the newly announced Conservative policy. If Brown had mentioned supporting the family unit, you could have believed that he was reading from David Cameron's notes. Labour have let the country get to this pathetic state. Violent kids own the streets, it's adults who are now afraid to go out alone. You don't worry that something bad may happen to your teenager while they are out, you worry whether they are getting drunk, doing drugs or jumping up and down on some poor blokes head when he tries to protect his property.

Kids have got rights, criminals have got rights, but the ordinary hard working man or woman have none. If some teenager is damaging your property and you lay one finger on them, all your rights disappear. If you happen to be a teenager and decide to damage someone's property and they have the audacity to complain, you can kick them in the head until they go into a coma and expect to do no more than twelve months in playstation prison - A lot less with "good" behaviour.

This liberal idiocy has gone far enough. For example, corporal punishment was ended to protect a few kids from over zealous teachers. The problem is that this means a very effective tool has been taken away from headmasters. What the campaigners failed to see was that the law was already dealing with these over zealous teachers and safety measures were in place to stop any abuse of power. Now we have a total lack of discipline in schools for the sake of protecting a few kids from overly sore backsides. What do headmasters do to discipline kids now? They exclude them, sounds bad doesn't it? What this actually means is that the kids are sent home for a few days to roam the streets and cause more disturbance when they should be getting an education. What kind of punishment is that? "You've been a bad boy so I'm giving you a few days off school." I'm sure the kids are gutted.

To prove my point, Sir Menzies Campbell said there was a feeling of "alienation" among some young people. I cannot stand this type of pathetic drivel. They are not alienated, they are just bad kids that have no respect for the law because it has been made almost impossible to punish them. Stop making excuses for them!

I could write for hours about this subject and I'm sure you have got your own opinions about the mess we have got ourselves into. What I will say is this: we need to win back our streets from the gangs or feral kids. There is nothing wrong with a bit of fear. Bad kids should fear their parents, they should fear their teachers, and most of all they should fear the law. Kids today fear nothing because they know they are virtually untouchable.

Let's change that.

The Real Terror On Our Streets - Our Kids.

The young man (Evren Anil, 23) in the picture above was killed, by youths, for having the guts to stand up to their anti-social behaviour. The youths threw a half-eaten chocolate bar through his car window as he sat at traffic lights. When Evren confronted the youths a knife was held to his throat before he was punched to the ground, fatally banging his head on the concrete. Evren was an example to today's young men, he worked hard at his education and gained a first class honours degree in computer sciences, he was a keen sportsman and tutored children at weekends. This fine young man's promising life was cut short not by war or by terrorism, but by youths.

Death on our streets at the hands of gun and knife carrying youths is becoming a far too common occurrence. There have been calls to give the police greater stop and search powers to combat terrorism. I think it is quite obvious that people are more worried about what our youths a capable of than any terrorist threat. It is also quite clear that you stand a greater chance of being harmed or killed by a teenager than you do by a terrorist. The police need to be given powers to combat the growing trend in our youths anti-social behaviour. In fact, it has gone beyond anti-social behaviour and has become a outright violent disregard for a peaceful and moral society.

Of the 3,500 Asbos (Antisocial behaviour orders) handed out in England and Wales in 2004-05 (a 60 per cent rise on the figures for 2003-2004) 55% are broken. Each Asbo issued costs the tax payer £3100, which means, of the £10,850,000 spent on Asbo administration £5,967,500 is being wasted.The NAO (National Audit Office) questions the effectiveness of the policy, saying that more than half of all antisocial behaviour is carried out by: "a hard core of perpetrators for whom interventions had limited impact". The NAO figures show that the average offender breaks the conditions of their Asbo four times, with one offender breaking the conditions of his order 25 times.

We now have a generation of kids who have no respect for the law, their parents or their school teachers. Unfortunately some of the young parents of these children are no better and it's only going to get worse unless something is done about it. For a start we could give the Police the powers to deal with groups of yobs. Curfews and dispersal orders in New York reduced crime by a staggering 55%, surely this would be a great initiative that could be easily implemented in our country. We need to stop pussy-footing about and give the police the powers they require to regain control of our streets. We need to make sure that youths are 100% clear that if they carry weapons they will be severely punished.

We need to tackle the real terror on our streets - lawless youth.

UPDATE Another similar story in the Daily Mail today:

A gang of youths viciously attacked a young father and left him for dead after refusing to buy them alcohol, a court has heard. Lee Harris, 29, was found to have blood inside his skill on the surface of his brain and was kept in a drug induced coma for a month following the savage attack.

Jamie Taylor, 18, Inskip Terrace, Gateshead, and Shaun Armstrong, 17, of Edgeware Road, Deckham, Gateshead, admitted causing grievous bodily harm. Taylor was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders institute and Armstrong was sentenced to 12 months detention and training.

12 Months! Is that what a so called 'Judge' thinks is a fitting punishment for trying to kick a man to death? If this man had attacked one of those youths, kicking and jumping on their head, what sentence would he have received?

Lord Falconer - Early Release of Prisoners.

Another master stroke by Lord Falconer. With approximately 70% of prisoners re-offending within the first two years of their release, shouldn't we be keeping them in, rather than letting them out early only to re-offend? This overcrowding problem has been going on long enough now for any reasonable government to have provided more prison spaces. Even temporary, but secure accommodation would have been an improvement over prisoners being kept in police and court cells. The Mayor of New York realised that the same people were committing the majority of the crime in the city. His answer to the problem was this: "you cannot commit crime while you are in prison". He reduced crime in his city by about 70% in the last decade and I think he may have been onto something.

We have people breaking ASBOs multiple times without going to prison, what kind of deterrent is that? It is a fact that making threats does not work, ask any headmaster. Discipline and order are maintained by immediate action, not threats. Discipline works, if it didn't the armed forces would fall apart. Why is their so little crime committed by members of the armed forces? the answer is that they understand that they will be immediately punished, not warned several times and then let off for promising to be good. Zero tolerance is the tool the mayor of New York used - if you commit a crime worthy of a prison sentence then you will go to prison, no ifs no buts. This saw New York's prisons rapidly fill, but over a few years it also saw them rapidly empty as criminals realised that their activities would not be tolerated, and that they would no longer receive warnings.

By making empty threats and releasing prisoners early we are only making things worse for the future. If we do not build more prisons and start filling them with people who deserve to be there, we will never have enough prison spaces.

The Police & ASBOs - Fixing Broken Windows?

Between 1990 and 2005 the total number of crimes reported in New York fell from 1,144,874 to 491,829, despite an increase in population of over a million. Violent crime has more than halved and the number of reported murders is almost a quarter of the 1990 figure. Why? The answer is not simple, but it seems that a major contributing factor was the City and the Police Department adopting a “Broken Windows” Policy.

The theory behind the Broken Window Policy is as follows:

(Taken from BROKEN WINDOWS by JAMES Q. WILSON AND GEORGE L. KELLING)

Disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked, in a kind of developmental sequence. Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighbourhoods as in run-down ones. Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing. (It has always been fun).

The method used to implement the policy was simple, a visible police presence and zero tolerance of antisocial behaviour. This took the form of the Police department getting officers out of their cars and back on the beat. City officials did their part by fixing those broken windows and removing graffiti. Figures show that these easily implemented measures had a massive effect on reducing crime, and when surveyed the population felt safer both at home and on the streets. The leaders of New York realised that order-maintenance had a much greater effect on reducing crime than crime-solving did.

So what is going wrong in the UK? While the government issue figures telling us that the occurrence crime is falling, why do we the people believe that it is increasing and feel less safe? It could be said that our perception of crime is skewed by increased media coverage. We are more aware of crime even if we live in a relatively crime free area. A more likely cause is our loss of faith in the law (windows are being broken but they aren’t being fixed).

The government have tried to implement the Broken Windows Policy but have failed due to one important factor: new laws have been introduced and the police have used them, however the government have failed to provide enough prison places to ensure they are enforced correctly. The police’s major weapon against anti-social behaviour is the ASBO (Antisocial behaviour order). The ASBO could be an excellent law enforcement tool if used correctly, unfortunately it isn’t.

The idea was that if you were issued with an ASBO and you broke the conditions of that order, you would go to prison. Of the 3,500 ASBOs handed out in England and Wales in 2004-05 (a 60 per cent rise on the figures for 2003-2004) 55% were broken. The NAO (National Audit Office) figures show that the average offender breaks the conditions of their ASBO four times, with one offender breaking the conditions of his order 25 times. This deterrent is obviously not working, if it was working the average offender would never break the conditions of their ASBO, or they would break them only once before going to prison.

The lack of prison places has turned the ASBO into a guard dog with no teeth. It must be incredibly frustrating for the police to be continually picking up the same people for crimes over and over again. If the ASBO worked, fewer would need to be issued as it would be seen as a genuine deterrent, but at the moment it is regarded by many tearaways as a badge of honour. Unfortunately this is a catch 22 situation. Without sufficient prison places the ASBO cannot fulfil its potential as a deterrent, and until people are locked up for breaking the conditions of their orders, more and more orders are going to be issued and broken.

We need more prison places now, or we will never have enough.

Shoplifting is as easy as ABC - Acceptable Behaviour Contract.

A short while ago I posted the following:

I'm off out to do a bit of shoplifting, apparently you only get an £80 fine and you don't even get a criminal record! Thanks to the introduction of fixed penalty notices, if I nick anything worth more than £80, I'm going to make a profit even if I get caught now and then. What's even better, I can do it again and again and again without an official mark against my character, never mind going to prison, bonus or what!

Alan Gordon, vice-chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says: "Let’s look at the reality of fixed penalty notices. Currently a third go unpaid and those who receive them get no criminal conviction. The Sentencing Advisory Panel suggestion that shoplifters could avoid jail no matter how many times they commit the offence is a disgrace. It sends out the wrong message at a time when the police and the public alike are sick to death of a criminal justice system which is far too lenient on those who break the law. The term shoplifting is misleading. It is stealing, and stealing is a crime and should be dealt with as such. The ultimate deterrent to any criminal is a prison sentence. We need more prisons, not a short term fix which will only encourage crime, not tackle it.”

Fixed penalty notices, what a joke. 32,000 notices were handed out last year, which is a massive increase on previous years. And this is supposed to be a deterrent? What this is, is an invitation to walk into any shop and steal what you fancy. Idiots.

Now it seems that if you promise to be a good boy or girl you will have the fine written off! This is where I pause from typing to turn the air blue. Please someone tell me that this report from BBC News is some kind of sick joke.

If the offender (Thief) agrees to be bound by an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) they will be told that they have been very naughty and get a slapped wrist. Actually I'm exaggerating, if they were to get a slapped wrist the officer involved would be sacked and had up for assault.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "It is bad enough such serious crimes are effectively being punished with a glorified parking ticket. Now we learn the government won't even bother to collect the fine."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Deferred PNDs sit alongside Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. They are both tools for police and local authorities to use to promote a change in an individual's behaviour. Breaching the terms of an ABC can have serious consequences. The next step may be the issuing of an ASBO for example." Oh no! not the dreaded ASBO? What are these people on. I think the home office should follow the armed forces example and carry out random drug tests.

Of the 3,500 Asbos (Antisocial behaviour orders) handed out in England and Wales in 2004-05 (a 60 per cent rise on the figures for 2003-2004) 55% are broken. Each Asbo issued costs the tax payer £3100, which means, of the £10,850,000 spent on Asbo administration £5,967,500 is being wasted.The NAO (National Audit Office) questions the effectiveness of the policy, saying that more than half of all antisocial behaviour is carried out by: "a hard core of perpetrators for whom interventions had limited impact". The NAO figures show that the average offender breaks the conditions of their Asbo four times, with one offender breaking the conditions of his order 25 times.

The chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Edward Leigh, said: "Instead of being startled into bringing their behaviour into check, too often offenders respond to an Asbo by sneering at the authorities and continue to make life miserable for the rest of their community. We're not talking about high jinks from a few mischievous youngsters. We're talking about yobs whose persistent criminal activity and intimidation are making our city centres no-go areas."

There you go then, if a Thief steals from a shop they could be fined £80. If they promise to be good they will get an ABC and will not have to pay that fine. If they fail to be good (and statistics show that they won't be) they could get an ASBO, which are about as much use as a snooze button on a smoke alarm.

If your are caught thieving you should go to court, and if you are found guilty you should go to prison. As they have proven in New York, you cannot commit crime while you are in prison. This simple rule of law enforcement has cut crime in New York by over 50%. It's not hard is it?

ASBOlutely Criminal

This oxygen thief has had the terms of his ASBO reduced by a Judge (?) who saw it as being too harsh. Sonny Lockwood, 19, had been banned from New Addington in Croydon for five years after a long history of harassing and intimidating residents. Lockwood was also prohibited from driving and riding in stolen cars (how cruel can you get?) and from hanging around with his gang (19? in a gang? - dipshit).
The Asbo will now only apply for two years and the outright ban on Lockwood entering New Addington will be lifted to allow him to visit his parents (bless him). As you can guess, the residents of New Addington are a little upset to hear of the reduction in severity of the ASBO.
Lockwood was first issued with an Asbo at the age of 15. He is currently in jail and the new Asbo will come into effect when he is released next year.
Judge (?) Stephen Waller said: "We think he should have the chance of support and comfort of his family in the home when he is released." Who is this We? - I can't believe anyone could share this idiotic opinion.

Is shame dead?

With the announcement that absent parents are to be "named and shamed", many have been critical as to the effectiveness of the policy.
Chris Stanley, head of policy and research at crime reduction charity Nacro points to the use of Asbos.Mr Stanley said: "We don't think naming and shaming can be considered productive from a children's rights perspective. There's also the issue of some young people who have never done anything successful holding up a leaflet publicising their Asbo and saying to their friends 'I did that'; almost like it's a badge of honour."
Many now believe we live in a shameless society.
Professor Bernice Andrews, of Royal Holloway University of London said:" These days people are likely to feel more shame about what they look like or their material success rather than any offence they may commit. Some people are just shameless. They are usually people who don't feel empathy or regret. They may simply want recognition and actually enjoy being in the public eye. It only works if people care what others think of them."

Q. Do you believe a "named and shamed" policy should be used to prevent crime?

To view the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/

Are Asbos working?

Of the 3,500 Asbos (Antisocial behaviour orders) handed out in England and Wales in 2004-05 (a 60 per cent rise on the figures for 2003-2004) 55% are broken.
Each Asbo issued costs the tax payer £3100, which means, of the £10,850,000 spent on Asbo administration £5,967,500 is being wasted.
The NAO (National Audit Office) questions the effectiveness of the policy, saying that more than half of all antisocial behaviour is carried out by: "a hard core of perpetrators for whom interventions had limited impact". The NAO figures show that the average offender breaks the conditions of their Asbo four times, with one offender breaking the conditions of his order 25 times."
The chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Edward Leigh, said: "Instead of being startled into bringing their behaviour into check, too often offenders respond to an Asbo by sneering at the authorities and continue to make life miserable for the rest of their community. We're not talking about high jinks from a few mischievous youngsters. We're talking about yobs whose persistent criminal activity and intimidation are making our city centres no-go areas."
Home Office minister Tony McNulty said: "Where breaches are reported it means that individuals are being monitored, that communities feel confident enough to report them and, let's be clear, if an offender breaches his or her order, there will be serious consequences, and rightly so. People can't have it both ways, accusing us of criminalising a whole generation and throwing Asbos down like confetti - which we aren't doing - and also being soft."

Q. Would it be better if those who persistently carry out acts of antisocial behaviour, receive a period in prison or a Young Offender Institution?

To view the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/