§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been served by each local authority in the UK. [99328]
§ Mr. DenhamAnti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) were introduced from 1 April 1999. Information held centrally up to 31 May 2000 is for the number of ASBOs issued within England and Wales by police force area only.
From 1 June 2000 official statistics on the number of ASBOs issued within England and Wales are based on quarterly returns from Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs). From copies of the orders we have been able to identify local authority areas involved. The number of notifications received by the Home Office of ASBOs issued within each MCC area, up to 30 September 2002 (latest available), can be found in descending order in the following table.
Tables showing data on the number issued by local authority have been placed in the Library.
We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made within England and Wales have been consistently under reported in returns made by magistrates courts and are considering how reporting can be improved.
Information relating to Northern Ireland is a matter for The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Matters related to Scotland are for the Scottish Executive.
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Table A: The number of anti-social behaviour orders issued within England and Wales, as reported to the Home Office, from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2002, by MCC and police force area. MCC/Police force area ASBOs issued West Midlands 96 West Mercia 65 Greater Manchester 55 GLMCA/Metropolitan Police1 46 Avon and Somerset 32 Northumbria 27 Lancashire 25 Norfolk 25 West Yorkshire 22 Staffordshire 21 Merseyside 19 Durham 18 Kent 18 Nottinghamshire 17 Humberside 15 South Yorkshire 15 Sussex 15 Derbyshire 14 Devon and Cornwall 12 Hampshire 12 Cleveland 11
Table A: The number of anti-social behaviour orders issued within England and Wales, as reported to the Home Office, from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2002, by MCC and police force area. MCC/Police force area ASBOs issued North Yorkshire 11 Thames Valley 11 Cumbria 10 Cambridgeshire 9 Cheshire 9 Hertfordshire 9 Northamptonshire 8 Warwickshire 8 Bedfordshire 7 Suffolk 7 Surrey 6 Leicestershire 5 Dorset 4 Gloucestershire 4 Lincolnshire 3 Essex 2 Wiltshire 1 England 694 South Wales 7 Gwent 4 North Wales 1 Dyfed Powys — Wales 12 England and Wales 706 1 Including City of London