asb: causes & perceptions roger howard october 2005
TRANSCRIPT
ASB: Causes & perceptions
Roger Howard
October 2005
Putting ASB in the crime & disorder perceptions debate
• Since 1995, 25%+ less crime overall• Burglary down 42%• Violent crime down 25%+• Victim risk down: 40% to 26% in 8 years• Gun & sex crimes up• Sentences longer• More in prisons• Greatest spending on CJS ever
Public Concerns Rise
The Barnet Press
A BOY, A GIRL, AND A TOY PISTOL
• A youth of Grange Avenue, North Finchley appeared in court on Friday for firing a pistol in the street and endangering the lives of residents of North Finchley.
• A girl living in Percy Road was struck by a pellet from the pistol fired by the defendant. When asked if she thought the defendant fired deliberately at her, claimed “I have reason to believe that he did”.
• The defendant who did not own the pistol was one of three boys who were together at the time. Whilst the pistol did not come within regulations in regard to dangerous firearms, it had a very powerful spring.
• The defendant was fined and ordered to pay costs.
The Barnet Press
• Seven youths are fined after Sunday incident
• An incident on Sunday evening when about 20 youths left an East Finchley youth club and then behaved in a disorderly way led to the appearance of seven of them at Highgate Court on Wednesday. They all pleaded guilty to using insulting behaviour and were each fined and ordered to pay costs.
• P.C. Samuel McVie said about 20 youths were seen walking along High Road, East Finchley. The commandeered the footway and pedestrians had to walk in the road. Some of the defendants threw fireworks, which were noisy.
There were old people’s dwellings nearby and the youths were yelling. They all boarded a bus and the officer said he followed in a police car. Some of the youths got off at various stops and he saw others running up and down the stairs. Some of the youths had not paid the fare. The seven accused were then arrested.
Macros causes of asb & crime
• social factors e.g. demographic, consumerism, community decline, drugs & alcohol
• economic factors ( good and bad, removal of “guardians”)
• changing culture e.g. deference & standards, attitudes to public services
• greed & likelihood of detection• Technology & globalisation
Micro causes of asb
• Environmental factors ( design etc)• Housing ( housing management etc)• Community ( facilities for children, lack of
social capital etc)• Personal & family behaviour( parenting, mental
health & substances etc)• Educational (truancy, literacy etc)• Enforcement ( lack of responses etc)
Audit Commission: Misspent Youth (1996)
‘Breaking into the cycle of antisocial behaviour’
Inadequate parenting
Aggressive, hyperactive behaviour
Truancy and exclusions
Peer group pressure
Unstable living conditions
Lack of training and employment
Substance misuse
Parenthood
Parenting programmes
Structured nursery education
School support
Positive leisure opportunities
Employment & training opportunities
Facilities for treatment
What will reduce asb?
• Prevention
• Early interventions
• Detection
• Enforcement & justice
• Reducing “re-offending”
Prevention
– Sure Start– Good neighbour schemes– Neighbourhood wardens– Youth participation– Projects for young people– Tackling truancy and exclusion– Mentoring schemes– Clauses in tenancy agreements– CCTV– Inter-generational initiatives
Early interventions Drug and alcohol services Mediation/restorative justice Third party reporting schemes for racist Harassment and follow-up support Rapid removal of graffiti and abandoned cars Detached youth workers Support for people with mental health
& other problems ABCs
Enforcement
• Application of tenancy agreement provisions including evictions
• Premises closures & licensing breaches
• ASBOs & responding to breaches in collaboration with other agencies)
• Prosecution of criminal offences
Reducing “re-offending”
Family support projects
Drug, alcohol & mental health treatment support
Youth Offending Team and probation/police work with prolific
perpetrators (e.g. community service)
Education, training, jobs & housing
Some challenges• Investment in prevention vs enforcement
• Modelling pro-social behaviour
• Re-orienting public service to be “victim/witness/customer” led
• Not sliding into more exclusion
• Giving a visible focus to community safety
• Building social capital
Crime Concern can support you• Service & performance improvement
programmes +strategy development• Quality assurance programmes & knowledge
transfer (eg YJB Prev Prog Support ; S17)• Action Learning Sets (eg for high crack BCU
areas)• “off-the-shelf” service interventions menus &
model
Some other Crime Concern results
Birmingham Safer Neighbourhoods• 14% reported crime drop in 5
neighbourhoods (7% across City)• 29% reported youth crime decrease
(12% across City)Youth Inclusion Programmes• 60% reduction in arrrests of YP Community meritRochdale – criminal damage down
16%, burglaries down 35% in 2003• c70% reduction in calls regarding
young people being a nuisance
