ASBO policy defined

Published on 15th March 2007 in News

Members of the Goole Area Forum heard details of the area's anti-social-behaviour policy recently.

They heard that, when fully staffed, the team includes five 'safe communities' officers, each of which cover different geographical areas.

The stages for preventing anti-social behaviour, which can include verbal abuse, threatening behaviour, harassment and vandalism, begin with a warning.

If the person continues to misbehave, an Acceptable Behaviour Contract, which is an agreement on how the individual is supposed to behave, is issued.

Parenting contracts can also be issued, to make sure parents take responsibility for their child.

Finally, Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) can be handed out to anybody over ten. These are intended to prevent individuals or groups from persisting with their behaviour.

If these orders are broken, the offenders can face criminal charges.

Dispersal Orders, No-Drinking Zones, Noise Abatement Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices can also be issued.

Members of the forum, which include East Riding ward councillors and representatives from town and parish councils, had the chance to ask questions and were reassured that all cases are considered individually and not via a 'blanket' approach.

This was the response to a concern that certain community groups were intolerant towards young people; warnings were being issued for riding bikes on the pavement, which was not felt to be anti-social behaviour.

The meeting also heard that the East Riding Youth Assembly was involved in suggesting how the Youth Opportunities funding might be spent.