Antisocial Behaviour

Like the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Benyon), I cannot claim credit for this excellent report. I was not on the Committee when it was produced. I was in Parliament, but I was doing time with the Constitutional Affairs Committee. The hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) told a story about the west country brewer who refused to provide beer to pubs that had both people drinking over the limit and unruly behaviour. I am impressed by that; it is such a good message to send out. I have a famous brewery in my constituency, Timothy Taylor's, and I feel like mentioning that story to it. It might be that it is a very upmarket brewery that does not provide beer to pubs of that type. I would like to concentrate on antisocial behaviour orders and the Government's current actions. On 30 December, Jennifer, a young single mum in my constituency, was at home when a group of youths, who had been threatening and verbally abusing her over the previous five months, walked into her house while she was there with her young daughter to steal her property. There was no attempt to cover their identity; the thugs were simply relying on the fear that they had generated on the estate to act as a deterrent to Jennifer going to the police. Why was Jennifer singled out? Perhaps because she works, because she has a car or because she has a child of dual heritage. I am not sure of the reason. We cannot sit back and allow innocent, law-abiding people, who are interested only in getting by, getting on with their lives, bringing up their children in a safe environment and living in harmony with their neighbours, to be subject to persecution and misery of that sort at the hands of a few mindless individuals. Therefore, I wholeheartedly support the actions that the Government have taken in seeking to address antisocial behaviour. I welcome the respect agenda, which is not a gimmick. It is about the delivery of positive solutions to practical social problems. Anything that concentrates our efforts on supporting people such as Jennifer and on isolating the thugs must be at the forefront of our agenda. ASBOs are a useful and effective tool, but, as my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Blackley (Graham Stringer) mentioned, we must ensure that they are never allowed to be worn as a badge of honour by those who have them. The gathering of sufficient evidence to secure an ASBO can be a lengthy process and can involve a great deal of co-operation from neighbours and the public in general. It is vital that, once imposed, an order is enforced without hesitation. If a breach of an ASBO is reported to the police, they must treat it as an emergency. Failure by the police to react quickly to any breach will inevitably result in the loss of credibility of the ASBO and frustration for those who have put their necks on the line by giving evidence to secure it in the first place. The street cred of the offender will increase as he or she flaunts the abuse of the ASBO. For the police, enforcement must be a priority. Likewise, we must ensure that other strands of our criminal justice system are geared to dealing with the realities of antisocial behaviour. I am told by magistrates in my constituency that the training given to them on ASBOs has been scant. Magistrates—important volunteers who act on behalf of their community—need to be in a position to make informed decisions based on detailed knowledge of the area and on what the practical effects of granting or refusing an ASBO can be. A visit to any magistrates court in the country would demonstrate how cases of antisocial behaviour are clogging up our courts. Perhaps, therefore, the time has come to consider extending the battle against antisocial behaviour to specialised courts and having specifically trained magistrates consider ASBO applications. Specific training for magistrates, specialised fast-track courts and unquestionable enforcement would all help to avoid terrible incidents, such as that experienced by Jennifer. However, I would urge caution. I have been told by magistrates in my constituency that ASBOs have sometimes been used as punishment for people suffering from a mental health problem. That cannot be right. We must not allow the tools of a punitive system to be used as an excuse for failures in mental health provision. How many cases end up in the magistrates court simply because there is nowhere else to go? A visit to New Hall, a women's prison in Wakefield, demonstrates that a high proportion of the inmates are suffering from a mental health problem, as opposed to being criminals. ASBOs have been used in an attempt to control the antisocial behaviour of mentally ill patients, which can lead only to failure because, owing to the illness, the terms of the ASBO will always be breached. We are setting people up to fail. To threaten them with the last place they should be—prison—causes yet more damage. Antisocial behaviour cannot be addressed only through punishment. We need the carrot as well as the stick, and I am delighted to say that in Keighley we are adopting that approach in a most innovative way. A multi-agency coalition is working in the Bracken Bank area specifically to address antisocial behaviour through the empowerment of the local community, addressing the needs of young people and restoring hope in individuals as stakeholders in their community. All this is supported by the police. This scheme is only at the planning stage, but with good will from all, and some financial support from various organisations such as local banks and building societies, as well as practical help from schools, community groups and trade unions, I hope that the people of Bracken Bank will triumph and that their peace of mind will be restored, along with the good name of Bracken Bank and my constituency.