Labour vows tough crackdown on antisocial behaviour as 20 million Brits plagued by yobbish behaviour and vandalism last year

Labour has vowed to bring in tough new measures to crackdown on antisocial behaviour under the Tories, as new figures show a staggering 20 million people have suffered at the hands of trouble-makers.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged that a Labour government will get tough on antisocial behaviour with new Respect Orders to take on gangs and repeat offenders and 13,000 neighbourhood police, PCSOs and Specials to restore community safety.

It comes as more than a third of the population (34 per cent) have witnessed or experienced antisocial behaviour in the last year.

At the heart of Labour's bold new approach are tough new powers and neighbourhood teams to restore safety in our town centres. 

Respect Orders, tough court orders similar to ASBOs, will hit those repeatedly wreaking havoc in town centres and local streets. It will enable adult offenders to be banned from town centres and problem areas - and unlike the current injunctions, breach of an Order will automatically be a criminal offence, with offenders ordered to do unpaid work in the community.

Expedited Public Space Protection Orders will be established, making it quicker and easier for local areas to clamp down on rapid escalations in drug dealing or drinking.

And following the slashing of neighbourhood police enforcing anti-social behaviour powers under the Tories since 2010 - down by over 10,000 officers and PCSOs - Labour will put 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the beat, funded by cleaning up police procurement and shared services.

Labour's comprehensive plan includes:

• New town centre police patrols and a mandatory antisocial behaviour police lead for every local neighbourhood

• Powers to ban repeat offenders from town centres and to stamp out public drinking and drug use

• Reversing the Tories' decision to downgrade shoplifting of items under £200, making it easier to take action against repeat offenders

• Town centre policing plans, developed in consultation with the local community

• A new Young Futures programme to divert young people away from crime, new youth mentors for children and young people most vulnerable to crime and mental health professionals in schools

• A national register of private landlords, to tackle properties from being used for antisocial behaviour and drug dealing

• A statutory duty for local partners to cooperate to tackle antisocial behaviour

• A new statutory definition of antisocial behaviour and national guidelines for local authorities and police forces on data collection. 

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, said:

“Antisocial behaviour is making too many people's lives a misery - and blighting our local communities and town centres. 

“Yet too often nothing is done, because under the Conservatives neighbourhood policing has been heavily cut. Across the country, people say they don't see the police on the streets anymore. 

“Everyone should be able to feel safe on their own streets and in their own town centres. Labour's plan is to put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers back on the beat and into our town centres, parks and local areas, to keep communities safe.”

Labour's pledge to rebuild neighbourhood policing will be paid for by forces across England and Wales working together more effectively and buying services more efficiently to save more than £360 million. 

The party would also introduce clean-up squads for fly-tippers, strengthen community sentences for antisocial behaviour and set up new Community Payback Boards to oversee community sentences.

Ends

Notes:

• According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, the proportion of the public reporting high levels of ASB in their local area has hit a record high: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesotherrelatedtables (Table F22)

• 34% of the public reported personally experiencing or witnessing ASB in their local area (Worksheet F18)

• Approximately 10% reported experiencing or witnessing local drug dealing or use (F18)

• More than half of the public report never seeing officers on patrol - up sharply over the past decade (Table F10) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesannualsupplementarytables

• The number of officers and PCSOs assigned to neighbourhood roles has plummeted by 10,000 since 2015 (Tables F1/F3, here and previous) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2023

• In 2014, the Conservatives' Anti-social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act weakened and cut Labour's tough antisocial behaviour powers: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7270/CBP-7270.pdf   

• Details of Labour's ASB Action Plan: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/labour-conservatives-police-government-yvette-cooper-b2285126.html

• Details of Labour's Community Policing Guarantee: https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/starmer-launches-community-policing-guarantee-to-get-more-police-in-your-town-fighting-antisocial-behaviour-taking-back-our-streets/

Labour's Community Policing Guarantee: 

Labour will put police back in your town centres and neighbourhoods to make streets safe again, with increased patrols and 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs on the streets. 

1. Police on the beat again 

We'll bring back proper neighbourhood policing by ensuring every part of the country has more local officers and PCSOs, and guaranteed town centre patrols with tougher powers. We'll give every community a named officer they can get in touch with, so policing gets back to what it's supposed to do. 

2. Zero tolerance of antisocial behaviour 

Getting tough with those who blight our towns, with new Respect Orders for repeat adult offenders, powers to ban repeat offenders from town centres and to stamp out public drinking and drug use. Every local area will have a dedicated lead focused specifically on tackling anti-social behaviour. 

3. A crackdown on shoplifting and violence   
We'll reverse the Tories' decision to downgrade the response to shoplifting under £200, making it easier to take action against repeat offenders and ending the farce of offending impunity, and creating a new specific offence of assault against retail workers. 

4. Put communities back at the heart of policing 

We will give local people and businesses a say in how their local area and town centre is policed, ensuring the police work with them on deciding priorities. 

5. Make community policing something to be proud of 

We will ensure that the path to career progression in policing is through getting to know your community - and ensure all neighbourhood officers are properly trained to be problem-solvers, not just recorders of crime. We will also work with the College of Policing and police chiefs to ensure neighbourhood policing has access to cutting edge technology and methods, including data analytics and hotspot policing.