End of the ASBO

ASBOs are set to be scrapped after Home Secretary Theresa May warned the flagship measure had failed to tackle bad behaviour.

Introduced by Labour to tackle anti-social behaviour, they allow restrictions on movement and other conditions to be slapped on offenders without having to prosecute them criminally.

But the controversial method of dealing with abusive youths, noisy neighbours and litter louts later became viewed by many yobs as a “badge of honour” and critics said it went against the traditions of British justice.

The system was also criticised for being unsuccessful with offenders regularly breaching the terms of the anti-social behaviour orders.

Across Greater Manchester, 1,793 of the orders have been handed out but more than half of those have not been complied with, according to government records.

Of the 1,133 breaches recorded, 654 were committed by under-18s, the Home Office statistics show.

Ms May vowed to turn the system on its head as she launched a review.

She added: “Labour introduced a ludicrous list of powers for tackling anti-social behaviour.

“These sanctions were too complex and bureaucratic there were too many of them, they were too time-consuming and expensive and they too often criminalised young people unnecessarily, acting as a conveyor belt to serious crime and prison.”

Ms May said she wanted the community to come up with its own ideas about how to tackle local problems and outlined plans for volunteers in high-visibility jackets to organise “walk-around days” tackling local issues.

She said: “It’s not just the police, it‚s not just social landlords, or councils, it’s the whole of society that needs to come together and work together to tackle anti-social behaviour.

“Because fundamentally this is a local problem, and the answers to it can only come from local people who are close enough to understand the root causes.”

Shadow Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: “There is no doubt the introduction of Asbos have made a huge contribution towards tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

“If the Home Secretary is to restrict the opportunities for the police to use Asbos, and other measures currently available, then this will be yet another example of this government going soft on crime.”