PAC knocks lack of Asbo evaluations

26 Jul 07
Antisocial behaviour measures cost £3.6bn a year, but there is no systematic evaluation of whether that money could be better spent, the Commons Public Accounts Committee has found.

27 July 2007

Antisocial behaviour measures cost £3.6bn a year, but there is no systematic evaluation of whether that money could be better spent, the Commons Public Accounts Committee has found.

Committee chair Edward Leigh said: 'A barrage of different antisocial behaviour measures was introduced ten years ago, but the Home Office has not done any work nationwide to find out which ones work best.

'For many tearaways, a simple and cheap warning letter [is] enough to deter further bad behaviour. But the government has not collected any information on the effectiveness of different measures on different groups of offenders.'

The PAC's July 24 report, Tackling antisocial behaviour, found that there were at least ten different ASB measures on the statute book, including parenting orders, dispersal powers and antisocial behaviour orders.

But some are rarely used and the selection process is often based on 'the familiarity of those in authority with the different types of measures, rather than an objective assessment of what works with different types of perpetrators'.

The PAC recommends the development of a national evaluation system to collect data on ASB measures and their effectiveness to offer practical guidance to local co-ordinators.

The committee also found that the majority of perpetrators of antisocial behaviour received only one ASB intervention – typically a warning letter – but a 'hard core' of 20% required repeated interventions.

Leigh said: 'After dark, our city and town centres are fast becoming no-go areas, with behaviour there ranging from drunken skylarking and intimidation to criminal activity. No civilised country should have to put up with what can seem like an occupying army loose in the streets.'

He also criticised the Home Office for repeatedly providing 'duff information'. He said: 'The department should pull itself together.'

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said tackling the problem remained 'a top priority'. He added: 'We have equipped local authorities, the police and other agencies with unprecedented tools and powers to deal with perpetrators.'

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reported to be ready to review the 24-hour licensing laws to examine whether they contribute to social disorder.

PFjul2007

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