LABOUR'S "SOUNDBITE SOLUTIONS" COULD WORSEN ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR - ROBINSON

1.24.19pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 6th May 2004

Stephen on litter duty with Lib Dem Cllr. Tom Smith-Hughes

Stephen Robinson has criticised Labour's love affair with dispersal orders to deal with anti-social behaviour because he, and the Police, believe they will make matters worse by diverting problems and not solving them.

In a letter to the local press, Stephen, who is West Chelmsford's Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman, said Lib Dems had proven solutions to the problems which work in Lib Dem-controlled areas

Stephen's letter went on, "Chelmsford Labour party 'welcomes unreservedly' the new powers from government on anti-social behaviour and attacks the Liberal Democrats. Well, they would - wouldn't they!

Liberal Democrats in Parliament opposed the legislation for Dispersal Orders for one simple reason: they could make the problem WORSE. We are not alone in this view: the Association of Police Officers said, "such a power could lead to confrontation and isolation of some elements of the communities we police".

As usual, Labour prefers soundbites, not real solutions. 11 years ago the Labour Home Affairs spokesman wanted to be "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime". The spokesman was one Tony Blair but he and his government have long since stopped worrying about the CAUSES of crime. They attack the symptoms not the cause.

If an order is used to move people on, it could just divert the problem to another area. The Liberal Democrat alternative was invented in Liberal Democrat-led Islington and has been tried and tested in other areas like Liverpool, Kingston and Cambridge. Acceptable Behaviour Contracts put the onus on the unruly person to sign up to improving his or her behaviour and, for under 18s, involve the parents.

Liberal Democrats have backed other initiatives too, such as licensing landlords of rented housing, parenting contracts, housing estate improvements and acting on other background causes such as noise nuisance, litter, fly-posting and fly-tipping.

The Liberal Democrats prefer solutions that will work. Labour (and indeed the Conservatives) tend to favour top down, authoritarian, nanny-knows-best approaches that don't work."