Neighbouring Town Halls at odds over use of banning orders in crime fight

OPEN warfare has broken out between Labour and Liberal Democrat rivals over the effectiveness of banning orders aimed at keeping drug dealers and rowdy youths off the streets.
Furious Camden Labour councillors claim that neighbouring Liberal Democrat-run Islington is failing residents living on the borough borders by ignoring the use of anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos).
Camden has gained a national reputation for using the orders to tackle crime. It has successfully applied for more than 150.
Drug dealers and prostitutes in King’s Cross have been among those banned from Camden. Youths on council estates have also been penalised by court orders.
More applications for orders are expected under the Town Hall’s masterplan to clean up drug-hit Camden Town in the next few months.
By contrast, Islington has been granted just 10 Asbos – and Liberal Democrats there have stoked anger among their neighbours by claiming Camden’s Asbo-led policy does not beat crime.
In a letter to the New Journal’s sister paper, the Islington Tribune, Lib Dem councillor Joyti Vaja, responsible for community safety on Islington Council’s executive, insisted Asbos were ineffective.
She said: “Asbos often only move the problem around the corner, they completely ignore the underlying causes of the problem and statistics show that one in three Asbos fail.”
Islington Liberal Democrats say their approach is based on trying to treat offenders.
Privately, Camden officials and councillors are disappointed with Islington’s response to their attempts to beat crime in King’s Cross. They are angry that, on the borough border where anti-social behaviour is high, a more effective relationship between the councils has not emerged.
Public comments, however, have previously been kept to a minimum in an attempt to maintain good neighbourly relations.
But Cllr Vaja’s remarks were pounced on as Camden councillors unveiled a three-year community safety plan at last Wednesday’s full council meeting.
Labour councillor Anna Stewart, Camden’s community safety supremo, said: “Compared to our neighbouring boroughs we are doing very well. We are outstripping our neighbours on residential burglary, theft and handling. We’ve seen major improvements in King’s Cross and Bloomsbury.
“In Islington, they have publicly stated that Asbos don’t work. This is where I think the Lib Dems get it very, very wrong. Asbos can be a key lever in getting people into the services they need.”
Camden Lib Dem councillor Jonathan Simpson told the meeting: “Islington has taken a different approach in terms of treatment.
“In terms of Asbos in Camden, breaking them is a real problem. The current rate is around 49 per cent.”