Anti-social behaviour takes many forms and has a huge impact on our towns and villages, making people feel unsafe within their communities. It also ruins the landscape and causes lots of damage each year. It is an issue Mark has campaigned for tougher measures on since before he was elected. That is why he is very pleased to see that Derbyshire has been selected as a pilot area for the Government’s new Immediate Justice and Hotspot Policing measures, part of the £160 million Anti-Social Behaviour Plan.
This means:
• Increased police visibility in our communities
• Offenders will be made to repair the damage they cause.
• The police and Local Authority will be given more tools to tackle antisocial behaviour including expanding drug testing on arrest.
• Banning nitrous oxide
• Increasing on-the-spot fines for offences such as graffiti and fly-tipping.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Plan also includes new measures to make evicting anti-social tenants easier, as well as broadening the disruptive and harmful activities that can lead to eviction. Previous perpetrators of anti-social behaviour will also be deprioritised for new council housing, creating a zero-tolerance approach to these activities.
The Government also announced a crackdown on nuisance begging, the creation of a new online reporting tool for anti-social behaviour and further investment in youth clubs to get children off the streets.
We must ensure that our communities remain safe and pleasant places to live and the Anti-Social Behaviour Plan, 20,
000 new police officers and strengthened powers to tackle offenders will be key to doing this. This has been a key priority of Mark's ever since he was elected and he will continue to raise this important issue in meetings with Ministers.
