Asbo Kids get in free to the London Dungeon

An article from This is London says:

"Yobs will get free entry to one of Britain's top tourist attractions this weekend - if they've got ASBOs.

Teen thugs with orders for terrorising their neighbours, binge drinking and serial theft will be handed free entry to the London Dungeon - but well-behaved families will have to fork out more than £70."

Asbo for Racist Drinker

An article from the Oxford Mail tells of street drinker Kenneth Pollard's alcohol influenced acts including two racist attacks.

"He had committed 10 offences last year and 19 in total since 1998.

The assaults and public order offences included a drunken attack on a Sikh man in the city centre.

During the incident at Carfax Tower on May 29, his turban was ripped off with such force that some of his hair was pulled out with it.

In the trial at Oxford Magistrates' Court, he said that for a Sikh having his turban ripped off was "the most embarassing thing possible". "

Pollard has also committed six public order offences, two shoplifting offences and one of drug possession.

Asbo Beer Mats

Five men who have been given ASBOs preventing them from entering pubs in and around Stockton, North East England, will find it hard to breach the order after 25,000 beer mats were printed with their mugshots on them.

Read more at the Morning Advertiser.

The "ASBOY"

This is a story that came up in a number of papers about a 10 year old boy who has recently been given an Asbo.

"A 10-year-old boy has become one of the youngest children in Britain to be given an Asbo. Anthony Bird was made subject to the tough order for two years following a spate of anti-social incidents in Middlesbrough.
He is banned from throwing things, threatening or annoying staff in two local shops, drinking alcohol and using insults and threats."

Teenage Girl Banned from Town Centre

A girl from Norwich has been banned from her local town centre after a string of anti social offences.

"Her list of wrongdoings included blowing an air horn in a disabled pensioner's ear, harassing supermarket staff and smashing bottles in a churchyard.

The teenager was also ran amok at a community centre, drank alcohol on the street, being involved in a violent altercation with Polish people and swearing at an off-duty chief inspector out jogging."

The Asbo was applied as a last resort, and her photos will be distributed around the town in order to make the ban easier for others to enforce.

'Sin Bins' for Asbo Families

This article from The Metro tells of a new Government plan to tackle "distruptive parents and their children", whereby they will be placed in special units and forced to observe strict rules and curfews.

The Home Office today unveiled the £15million UK-wide scheme aimed at boosting the Government's 'Respect' agenda. A total of 53 separate projects tackling anti-social behaviour will be funded, including seven in London.

Families will not be legally compelled to move into the new units. But they face being evicted, prosecuted or having their children taken into care if they refuse.

Constraints on them while under supervision may include curfews and a ban on late-night visitors.

Parents will also be monitored to ensure they are feeding children properly and putting them to bed in good time.


I understand the point about curfews and stricter rules on 'problem families' (whether or not it will work is a different matter) but it was the last point here that showed how much nannying this country is doing in order to deal with anti-social behaviour. Surely the government have got better things to do than to check whether children are being put to bed on time.

Furthermore studies have shown that housing problem families together will increase problems of crime and deviance (for example Terence Morris, and Rex and Moore). These so-called 'Sin Bins' will not solve the problem.

Parents face Asbo if they let children play football

An article from the Camden New Journal tells of how the council is warning families that if their children are found playing football on their estate they will be threatened with an Asbo.

"Anti-social behaviour orders are normally slapped on drug addicts, prostitutes and teenagers who terrorise neighbours. But simply kicking a ball around at the back of Grove Place estate could now spell trouble.
Camden Council gave permission for football on the estate in 2004 after receiving a residents’ petition but suddenly withdrew it on Thursday."

Not only is this an issue of the council going back on their word, it could also spell further problems with behaviour. It has often been argued that most teenagers and children act anti-socially because they are bored and don't have anything to do. Now that the children are doing something productive and getting fresh air and exercise (as they do get told to do), they are being given as Asbo for it.

ASBO Plan for Religious Extremists

Religious extremists could be given an AntiSocial Behaviour Order in a crackdown of extreme and radical behaviour this article in The Metro says.

"Police and prosecutors could use Asbos against suspects they can not charge with criminal offences under new guidance to tackle "radicalisers" announced by Attorney General Lord Goldsmith.

Police are also calling on members of the public to use a hotline to tip them off about anyone they suspect of preaching hatred.


This idea follows the successful use of Asbos on animal rights activists.

In my opinion, I do not think that this will work. An Asbo is too small a tool to use on an issue this big. Jail sentences, deportation, shoot to kill strategies have not curbed terrorism and extremist behaviour; how likely is it that an Asbo will?

Teenager Banned From His Own Neighbourhood

This article from This is Hertfordshire tells of a Surrey teenager who has been banned from his own neighbourhood after years of terrorising neighbours and shopkeepers.

"The Asbo bans him from moving through his Tadworth neighbourhood unless he is on public transport, making his way directly home or accompanied by his parents, the police or a social worker."

The True Cost of Enforcing an ASBO

An article from Leeds Today newspaper, published on March 31st provides the true cost of enforcing an Asbo in Leeds:

~Fifty-seven per cent of those handed an Asbo have breached its terms
~Each Asbo costs a staggering £1,700 to enforce in the courts; however this is less than the national average of £2,500
~Nearly £165,000 of taxpayers' money has gone into securing Asbos

Children to be tested at school for criminal tendencies

News has come out over the past few days of a government proposal that school children will now be tested to see whether they are at risk of becoming criminals. This could include looking at behaviour in school as well as looking at home life.

"The children of prisoners, problem drug users and others at high risk of offending will also face being "actively managed" by social services and youth justice workers"

Despite the overall tone of this blog I am unsure of this new proposal. Should children be watched like a hawk by the start of primary school? Is this the nanny state gone mad? Will this be part of the new 11+ exam at the end of primary school - verbal reasoning, non verbal reasoning, and mummy and daddy's wrongdoings.

And what exactly are these at risk groups? Criminal parents? Single Parent families? Mental health issues? Would those convicted of white collar crimes such as tax evasion, embezzlement and fraud be included here as well?

I believe strongly in the self fulfilling prophecy - if you watch these children like a hawk and treat them this differently of course they are going to turn out badly. Let them go to school to learn, not to be spied on.

And on a final note, it is not only the so called high risk families whose children many or may not turn into delinquents. Under these guidlines would we have known that Mr Prime Minister's son would end up in a drunkened state lying in a gutter during a night of underage drinking?

For more information on these propsals:
Here is a link from The Guardian
and an article from The Telegraph

Battling against ASBO Britain

This article from The Sun newspaper today talks of The RAFTA awards, also known as The Respect Awards For Taking A Stand.

These took place yesterday honouring those who took a stand against AntiSocial Behaviour.

It is refreshing to see people who aren't afraid to stand up to those others might find intimidating.

Throwing Fireworks at Cars

And article from Hucknall Today tells of a boy who was throwing fireworks from rooftops and causing distress not only to drivers but church goers in his local area.


"He caused cars to swerve out of the way when he threw fireworks from the roof of a pub in the town, a court heard.
Sixteen-year-old George Swain also disrupted a service at the Christian Fellowship Church, which is near where he lives on Strelley Street.
He caused distress to worshippers by climbing to the top of the building, Nottingham Magistrates Court was told."


I'm not sure whether many of the readers of this blog are religious but I think this sort of behaviour around a place of worship has a different level of AntiSocial Behaviour.

Local residents are also being told to keep vigilant of Swain, in case he breaches the order that he agreed to. Whether this will actually happen is another thing because it is known that nowadays with this sort of behaviour, people are more likely to cross over the road rather than get involved.

ASBO boy caught breaching order

An article from the Wimbledon Guardian tells of a boy who will now be spending four months in a detention centre for breaching his ASBO

"A 15-year-old boy caught breaching his Antisocial behaviour order (Asbo) is spending time behind bars.

The youth from Mitcham was arrested after he was spotted by police riding a motorcycle from Galpins Road, Mitcham, on to Mitcham Common on February 21.

He was given a four-month detention order for driving while disqualified when he appeared at Wimbledon Youth Court on Thursday. Magistrates also gave him a six-month detention and training order for breaching his Asbo to run concurrently."

The ASBO as a Badge of Honour

When the ASBO was first introduced, the idea was that it would curb lower level crimes and anti-social behaviour. They work by providing the offender with restrictions specified in the other, for example not being out at certain times or in certain places.

A problem arose however when many youth offenders saw the ASBO as a Badge of Honour as shown on the BBC news website.
The orders were not being taken seriously as the government would have liked to, with large numbers of people breaching the orders that were given to them. Groups of friends believed that the ASBO would raise their street credibility, and those who did not have one felt "left out" according to these articles.

In my opinion the sheer amount of ASBOs that were given out were the reason that they became so trivial. The attitude of individuals towards these orders meant that when they given out the negative and cynical views lead to offenders also believing that they were meaningless. They are easy to breach because very little was done when they were breached. Naming and shaming brought attention. That is why they were seen as a badge of honour.

What is AntiSocial Behaviour?

At the moment in the UK, ASBOs are everywhere, being handed to a large number of people for the sole purpose of curbing Anti-Social Behaviour. What constitutes to Anti Social Behaviour can be found on this Crime reduction website.

"Anti-social behaviour has a wide legal definition – to paraphrase the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, it is behaviour which causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more people who are not in the same household as the perpetrator

Anti social behaviour can come in many forms, some more obvious than others. This blog has been created to document the ASBOs that have been handed out from the serious and worrying to the trivial. Information will primarily from news stories, as well as personal accounts from others who experience anti social behaviour.

For more information on what The ASBO actually is, here is an article from the BBC that provides a Q&A about Anti Social Behaviour Orders.