ASBO offenders "sneering at authority"

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - Offenders given ASBOs were accused of "sneering at the authorities" after a report on Thursday revealed that more than half break the terms of their orders.

ASBOs (anti-social behaviour orders), the government's flagship weapon to tackle yobs and troublemakers, were introduced seven years ago. They usually ban offenders from entering certain areas or associating with named individuals.

But a study by the government's independent cash watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), found that 55 percent had breached the terms of their ASBOs with more than a third doing so five times or more.

One individual broke his on 25 occasions.

"Instead of being startled into bringing their behaviour into check, too often offenders respond to an ASBO by sneering at the authorities and continue to make life miserable for the rest of their community," said Edward Leigh, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee to which the Audit Office reports.

Tackling yobbish behaviour has been a major focal point for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government. The NAO estimates it costs 3.4 billion pounds a year in England and Wales.

Home Office figures show that the number of people who think anti-social behaviour is a major problem in their area fell from 21 percent in 2002-3 to 17 percent in 2005-6.

But there was a wide regional variation, with as many as 49 percent of those living in Corby in Northamptonshire believing it was a serious issue in their area.