§ Dr. StoateTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of proof is required by magistrates courts before an application for an anti-social behaviour order can be granted. [150996]
§ Ms BlearsIn the McCann case in October 2002 the Law Lords ruled that the equivalent of the criminal standard of proof, ie beyond reasonable doubt, should be applied in the interests of fairness and pragmatism to prove past acts of anti-social behaviour which are usually of a criminal or quasi-criminal nature. The necessity of a anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) for the protection of other persons from future anti-social acts remains an exercise of judgment not subject to a standard of proof.
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§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the success to date of anti-social behaviour orders in Gloucestershire. [150425]
§ Ms BlearsAnti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) are one of a number of methods being used in Gloucestershire as part of their local strategy to tackle anti-social behaviour. Local practitioners report that ASBOs have been successfully used alongside other tools—such as mediation and anti-social behaviour clauses in tenancy contracts—to reduce anti-social behaviour in the area and transform the behaviour of several perpetrators. Nine ASBOs were granted in Gloucestershire between April 1999 and September 2003.
As part of the Government's Together campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour, we will be doing more to improve the local response, this includes:
£75 million over three years to support the Government's action plan,Funding for every Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership,An ActionLine, Academy and website to help practitioners do more to tackle anti-social behaviour.
§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Anti-Social Behaviour Orders have been put in place, broken down by(a) police authority and (b) local authority; and how many people have been charged with breaking anti-social behaviour order provisions. [151349]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 27 January 2004]Data on the number of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) granted, from 1 April 1999 up to 30 September 2003 (latest available) by Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCC) area, Crown Court circuit, and the county court group and by local authority area have been placed in the Library.
Information on the number of people charged is not collected centrally. From the Home Office Court Proceedings database, available information relating to breaches of ASBOs, covering the period 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2002, show s that the number of people who have been prosecuted for breaching an ASBO is 329, of which 305 were found guilty.
§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been(a) made and (b) breached in each police authority area; and if he will make a statement. [150426]
§ Ms BlearsData on the number of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) made are reported to the Home Office on a quarterly basis by Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCC), and on a rolling basis by the Crown court (since 2 December 2002) and county courts (since 1 April 2003). Table A gives data on the number of ASBOs made, from 1 April 1999 up to 30 September 2003 (latest available), by MCC area, Crown court circuit, and county court group.
436WThe available information relating to breaches of ASBOs, covers the period 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2002. Table B gives data on the number of ASBOs made, and the number breached, within this period.
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Table A—Number of anti social behaviour orders made, at all courts, as reported Magistrates' Courts Total ASBOs on application/conviction MCC/Police force area Avon & Somerset 45 Bedfordshire 16 Cambridgeshire 22 Cheshire 33 Cleveland 23 Cumbria 28 Derbyshire 21 Devon & Cornwall 18 Dorset 5 Durham 28 Essex 4 Gloucestershire 9 GLMCA/Metropolitan Police1 113 Greater Manchester 240 Hampshire 37 Hertfordshire 26 Humberside 19 Kent 42 Lancashire 56 Leicestershire 7 Lincolnshire 7 Merseyside 66 Norfolk 30 Northamptonshire 9 Northumbria 53 North Yorkshire 13 Nottinghamshire 26 South Yorkshire 44 Staffordshire 38 Suffolk 27 Surrey 10 Sussex 39 Thames Valley 21 Warwickshire 25 West Mercia 100 West Midlands 154 West Yorkshire 82 Wiltshire 3 England 1,539 Dyfed Powys 11 Gwent 8 North Wales 15 South Wales 25 Wales 59 England and Wales MCC/PFA 1,598 County Court Group (ASBOs on application) London 1 Merseyside 1 England and Wales County Court Group 2 Crown Court Circuit Midland 4 Northern 5 North Eastern 3 South Eastern 1 South Eastern Provincial 2 Western 7 Wales and Chester 1 England and Wales CC Circuits 23 Total all courts England and Wales 1,623 1 Including City of London
Table B—The number of breaches1 of an anti-social behaviour order from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2003, by MCC/Police Force Area, Crown Court Total ASBOs Percentage MCC/Police Force Area Issued Breached total Breached Avon & Somerset 25 27 28 Bedfordshire 8 6 75 Cambridgeshire 5 2 40 Cheshire 16 7 44 Cleveland 13 7 54 Cumbria 15 2 13 Derbyshire 15 9 60 Devon & Cornwall 11 4 36 Dorset 4 1 25 Durham 21 16 76 Essex 2 1 50 Gloucestershire 5 1 20 GLMCA/Metropolitan Police3 51 217 33 Greater Manchester 104 230 29 Hampshire 15 3 20 Hertfordshire 16 25 31 Humberside 16 5 31 Kent 36 3 8 Lancashire 23 10 43 Leicestershire 5 3 60 Lincolnshire 3 21 33 Merseyside 32 6 19 Norfolk 19 28 42 Northamptonshire 9 1 11 Northumbria 30 211 37 North Yorkshire 7 26 86 Nottinghamshire 16 8 50 South Yorkshire 24 28 33 Staffordshire 22 6 27 Suffolk 9 1 11 Surrey 6 23 50 Sussex 23 5 22 Thames Valley 14 2 14 Warwickshire 18 8 44 West Mercia 75 225 33 West Midlands. 93 42 45 West Yorkshire 29 13 45 Wiltshire 1 1 100 England 836 294 35 Dyfed Powys — — — Gwent 4 3 75 North Wales 8 5 63 South Wales 7 3 43 Wales 19 11 58 Total England and Wales 855 305 36 1 Breaches are counted in this table on a persons basis; i.e. multiple breaches (occurring at the same time) 2 Includes breaches where the ASBO recipient was a juvenile 3 Including City of London