Offenders 'could have goods seized' under British proposals

Offenders could be stripped of prized possessions such as iPods under proposals to give police better powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, Britain's Home Office said today.

Authorities would also be forced to take action if several people in the same neighbourhood complain or if one victim complains three times with no action being taken.

The “community trigger”, one of a raft of proposals which form part of a Government consultation on anti-social behaviour, comes after Fiona Pilkington killed herself and her disabled daughter Francecca in 2007 after being hounded by youths outside their home in Leicestershire.

Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire said: ``For too long anti-social behaviour has wreaked havoc in our communities and ruined decent people's lives.

“It is time for a new approach that better supports victims and makes it easier for the authorities to take fast, effective action.

“This consultation sets out how we propose to tackle this stubborn problem, ensuring the most vulnerable in our communities are protected from the cowards and bullies who carry on in such an offensive manner.

“It is important there is no let-up – local areas must continue to use the most appropriate powers available to them.”

In the consultation document, the Home Office said it was working with the Ministry of Justice on proposals “to increase the use of asset seizure as a sanction for criminal offences”.

“For example, to explore whether there are particular types of offender for whom seizing assets might be effective and proportionate.”

It added that the Government was also considering seizing an offender’s passport as a “useful additional sanction”.

Asbos, Criminal Asbos and a whole range of other measures will be replaced with Criminal Behaviour Orders and Crime Prevention Injunctions, Mr Brokenshire said.

The orders will ban an individual from certain activities or places while the injunctions will be designed to nip bad behaviour in the bud before it escalates.

They will also need a lower level of proof than the criminal orders.

Asked whether Asbos had simply been rebranded, Mr Brokenshire insisted there were “important differences”.

The replacement powers will make the sanctions “speedier to attain and also will mean the lower civil standard of proof is important here”, he said.

Mr Brokenshire also suggested that offenders could be banned from taking holidays abroad as an incentive to comply with any court orders.

“We’re looking at a range of issues that might have an impact on how people behave,” he said.

“Let’s be clear – we’re not talking about police being able to seize things in the community.

“This is about going to court, evidence being produced and what sanctions may be appropriate for the courts to consider.

“Obviously, if someone’s passport is taken away then that could have an impact on their ability to travel.

“Equally it might apply greater focus on their ability to follow through on orders that have been given to them and the consequences of their actions.”

Asked about taking away iPods and other belongings, he went on: “We want to ensure that, if there are sanctions and measures for people who break the law, who go to court, who receive those punishments, that there are effective teeth to them.

“And, when we look at things like drug dealing, ensuring that there is that mainstreaming of powers to take away the assets that may benefit, that may be the things that that person has gained from their criminal behaviour, and making sure those powers are properly used and are effectively applied.”

Other proposals include community protection orders, which would give councils powers to stop graffiti, noisy neighbours or dog fouling.

They could also be used for “more serious disorder and criminality”, such as closing a property being used for drug deals, the Home Office said.

The Asbo was launched under the last Labour government while Tony Blair was still in power.

But the measure attracted criticism in some quarters for the perception that it is seen as a badge of honour among offenders.

Figures showed there were more than 6,500 incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded by police in England and Wales every day in December.

In all, more than 200,000 instances of anti-social behaviour took place, including almost 35,000 in London alone.

Last September, a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said only one in four incidents of anti-social behaviour were reported and communities were “becoming used to things we should not have become used to”.