Perpetrators of anti-social behaviour in Nottinghamshire will face swift and visible justice, increased fines and enhanced drug testing as part of a new crackdown launched by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today (Monday 27 March).
Delivering on the Prime Minister’s pledge earlier this year to clamp down on these crimes, the Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, will make sure that this issue is treated with the urgency it deserves, establish a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of anti-social behaviour, and give the police and local authorities the tools they need to tackle the problem.
Under the plan, 16 areas in England and Wales will be funded to support either new ‘hotspot’ police and enforcement patrols in areas with the highest rates of anti-social behaviour, or trial a new ‘Immediate Justice’ scheme to deliver swift and visible punishments.
Ruth Edwards, MP for Rushcliffe said:
“It is great news that Nottingham has been chosen as one of the pilot areas for the Immediate Justice Scheme. It means that perpetrators will be made to take responsibility for their actions and directly pay back the communities that their crimes impact on.
The Government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan will ensure that offenders receive faster, tougher and more visible punishments, giving residents the confidence to feel safe and improving our local communities.”
Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner area will trial Immediate Justice.
Under the new Immediate Justice scheme, those found committing anti-social behaviour will be made to repair the damage they inflicted on victims and communities, with an ambition for them to start work as soon as 48 hours after their offence so victims know antisocial behaviour is treated seriously and with urgency.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“Anti-social behaviour undermines the basic right of people to feel safe in the place they call home.
“The public have rightly had enough – which is why I am determined to restore people’s confidence that those responsible will be quickly and visibly punished.
“This action plan maps out how we will tackle this issue with the urgency it deserves and stamp out these crimes once and for all – so that wherever you live, you can feel safe in, and proud of your community.”
Offenders, who will be made to wear high-vis vests or jumpsuits and work under supervision, could be made to pick up litter, remove graffiti and wash police cars as punishment for their actions, and victims of antisocial behaviour from the local community will be given a say in offenders’ punishments to ensure justice is visible and fits the crime.
The trailblazers will be launched as soon as possible and follow research that shows that anti-social behaviour is the main reason people do not feel safe in their local area.
Under the zero-tolerance approach, Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” will also be banned to send a clear message to intimidating gangs, that hang around high streets and children’s parks and litter them with empty canisters, that they will not get away with this behaviour. The drug is now the third most used among 16 to 24-year-olds in England and both the police and public have repeatedly reported links between use of the drug and nuisance or anti-social behaviour.