Anti-social Behaviour

• Ed Balls and Vernon Coaker will today publicise the progress made in tackling youth anti-social behaviour over the last two years.

• The perception of young people hanging around as a problem has fallen in the latest annual British Crime Survey, for the first time after four consecutive years of increases.

• Our action includes Acceptable Behaviour Contracts; ASBOs; street based teams that engage young people at risk in targeted neighbourhoods and divert them to appropriate support services; after school patrols that have provided reassurance to young people and local communities; and summer alcohol activity to address alcohol fuelled youth anti-social behaviour with over 5,000 litres of alcohol confiscated.

• The Conservatives are soft on crime and anti-social behaviour. Under Labour there are 16,000 more police officers, but the Tories would cut the equivalent of 3,500 police officers from our streets this year.