ASB Help welcomes today’s announcement from the Home Office on the trial and introduction of Respect Orders. Anti-social behaviour continues to have a devastating impact on victims and communities across England and Wales. We are keen to see how this new power will be implemented and the effect it will have on the issues faced by victims across the country.
Following the Home Secretary’s announcement of major policing reforms, the Home Office has announced their plans to bring in new Respect Orders which will “subject repeat offenders of anti-social behaviour to tough restrictions on their behaviour”.
Here are the take aways from the Home Office’s announcement:
- Respect Orders will give police the power to ban persistent offenders from town centres, or from drinking in public spots.
- Perpetrators can be required to address the root cause of their behaviour e.g. via drug/alcohol treatment; similar to positive requirements seen under injunctions currently.
- Unlike injunctions, breaching a Respect Order will be a criminal offence – police will have the ability to immediately arrest anybody breaching their Respect Order.
- As well as prison sentences of up to two years, criminal courts will also be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders, such as unpaid work, and curfews as punishment for breaching a Respect Order.
- Police will have stronger powers to seize vehicles involved in ASB, no longer requiring to issue a warning before seizing the vehicle(s), including off-road bikes and dangerous e-scooters on pavements.
In response to this announcement, our CEO, Harvi, states:
“As the national charity that supports victims of anti-social behaviour, we regularly hear from victims who share with us the impact and harm they experience from repeated incidents of ASB. The lack of response from agencies leaves victims with little hope that the offenders will be dealt with robustly. Therefore, we are encouraged by the approach of addressing root causes of anti-social behaviour which will in turn work towards reducing reoffending rates, bringing respite to victims and communities.
It is important that the trial of Respect Orders is implemented effectively through comprehensive training which will give confidence to both the police and councils on how to use the new power.
It is vital that appropriate resources are provided to the key agencies who will provide the services, for offenders to undertake positive rehabilitation, such as attending drug or alcohol treatment services, or an anger management course to address the underlying causes of their behaviour.
We must also ensure there is robust monitoring and review of the Respect Orders during the trial period as we must get this right.
There must be a balanced approach to both dealing with persistent ASB in town centres and with those victims that face persistent ASB within their homes. The Respect Orders will complement the current tools and powers, and we look forward to their full implementation. We hope this will promote national consistency so that every victim, regardless of where they live in England and Wales, can feel confident that their ASB will be taken seriously and dealt with.”
Our Deputy CEO, Charlie, appeared on Sky News this morning to discuss these new powers: