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| Neighbours at odds
over right way to beat troublemakers |
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Cllrs Bridget Fox, above, and Laura Willoughby
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THE Town Hall’s ruling Lib Dems have clashed with Labour
councillors in neighbouring Camden over the best way to tackle
troublemakers.
Islington councillors Bridget Fox and Laura Willoughby yesterday
(Thursday) sparked a debate at the Lib Dem conference in Blackpool
on the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos).
They appealed for curbs on Asbos, which are favoured by Camden
Council as a major weapon in tackling troublemakers.
Their motion called on the government to restrict the use of Asbos
to severe cases and to end the use of banning orders for “trivial”
matters.
The Islington Lib Dems said criminal offences should be dealt
with by the courts.
The motion added: “In many cases they (Asbos) do not tackle
the problem that they seek to address.”
Their motion has been seen as a thinly-veiled attack on Labour-run
Camden, where more than 180 orders have been obtained against
unruly youths, prostitutes, graffiti taggers and drug dealers.
By comparison, Lib Dem-held Islington has used Asbos only in exceptional
circumstances. Its tally of obtained orders is under 20.
Instead, Islington crime chiefs prefer to use acceptable
behaviour agreements,
which encourage troublemakers to agree to a behaviour plan.
Cllr Willoughby, Islington’s regeneration boss, said: “We
use Asbos but only in severe cases. If you are getting to the
Asbo stage then something has gone wrong before then.
“We want more intervention to stop it getting to that stage.
Asbos can be expensive and can take a long time to obtain. People
don’t realise that they can’t just be obtained overnight.”
Labour councillors in Camden, desperate to prevent a Lib Dem takeover
at the Town Hall when council elections are held next year, have
defended their use of Asbos.
Councillor Jake Sumner insisted Asbos were effective in curbing
nuisance. He said: “They (Lib Dems in Islington) are not
using Asbos for purely ideological reasons and are failing to
protect their residents. It is a disgrace.
“At best, this motion reveals how little they understand
about Asbos. At worst it amounts to a smokescreen for inaction.
“Asbos have been shown to work in Camden, along with acceptable
behaviour agreements. They work because of our significant investment
in prevention, treatment and enforcement.”
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