Respect Orders to clamp down on antisocial behaviour

Those who wreak havoc on local communities will face tough restrictions under new powers announced by the home secretary today (22nd November 2024).

The Respect Orders will give the police and local councils the power to ban persistent offenders from town centres or from drinking in public places, where they have caused misery to local people. As part of a manifesto pledge to crack down on anti-social behaviour (ASB), these measures will be trialled before national rollout to ensure they as effective as possible.

Perpetrators can also be required to address the root cause of their behaviour by having to undertake positive rehabilitation, such as attending drug and alcohol treatment services, or anger management causes to address the underlying causes of their behaviour.

It will be a criminal offence to fail to comply to the Respect Orders, and police will have the authority to immediately arrest anyone who is breaching these new laws.

Additionally, police will be given stronger powers to seize vehicles involved in anti-social behaviours, with officers no longer being required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles which bring misery to local communities. 

As a result, police will not be able to deal with off-road bikes in public parks and e-scooters on pavements much faster. The Respect Orders will also assist the police in tackling car meets, in which hundreds of cars gather in public spaces that often include loud aggressive engine revving and music.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Antisocial behaviour chips away at communities’ sense of confidence and pride, undermines local businesses and can have a devastating impact on victims.

“This cannot be allowed to continue. Respect Orders will give police and councils the powers they need to crack down on repeated anti-social behaviour, keeping our communities safe and ensuring repeat offenders face the consequences of their actions. We will also make it easier to seize the vehicles causing misery in too many neighbourhoods, including defending off-road bikes or e-scooters ridden dangerously on the pavement.”

Criminal courts will now be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders like unpaid work and curfews, as well as prison sentences of up to two years, for breaching a Respect Order, to make sure the most serious offenders are dealt with before their behaviour can escalate.

These new powers will be introduced as part of the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, partially replacing existing Civil Injunction powers for adults, ensuring a wider range of penalties as beaches will be dealt with in criminal courts. This will work alongside the new powers of arrest. Existing legislation will subsequently be amended, allowing police to seize nuisance off-road bikes without having to give a warning first.

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will work alongside the Crime and Policing Bill, as part of the government’s commitment to restore neighbouring policing in England and Wales, focussing on bringing back police patrols to town centres, recruiting thousands of additional officers to neighbourhood roles and ensuring every community has a named local officer to turn to. 

Deputy chief constable Andy Prophet, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Anti-Social Behaviour, said: “Respect Orders will give the police and councils the ability to crack down on those who persistently make our streets and public spaces feel unsafe. I am pleased to see the ability to ban offenders from our high streets and parks, with a power of arrest for those who ignore such direct, as well as the power to require individuals to seek help for underlying causes of their poor behaviour such as drug or alcohol misuse.

“Similarly, giving officers the option to immediately seize vehicles from those who use their vehicles in an anti-social manner is a welcome addition to the powers available to officers to crack down on ASB and make our street safer.”

Harvinder Saimbhi, ASB Help CEO said: “As the national charity that supports victims of ASB, we regularly hear from victims who share with us the impact and harm they experience from repeated incidents of ASB.

“We welcome the approach of addressing the root causes of the anti-social behaviour which will in turn work towards reducing reoffending rates, therefore bringing respite to victims and communities. We are keen to see how the respect orders will be implemented.”