Anne Campbell Campaigning for Cambridge

Anti Social Behaviour

The Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003 was introduced by the Labour Government to give police new powers to deal with unacceptable behaviour that damages communities. I have been encouraging the Police and the City Council to make more extensive use of their new powers. Anti Social Behaviour Orders, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts and Dispersal Orders can be used to help local agencies and the police improve their responses to anti social behaviour. Demotion Orders and Closure Orders can be used against tenants who are abusing their tenancy and behaving in an unacceptable manner.

Recently, I became involved with residents living on Willow Walk, who had become very concerned about anti social behaviour linked with the hostel there. A number of positive steps have been taken, and the police are now regularly patrolling the area.

I have also been holding meetings with residents to discuss anti social behaviour, giving people an opportunity to air their concerns and decide how to tackle the problems in their neighbourhoods. Last year, following my intervention, a crack house in Arbury was successfully closed down.

I have also been campaigning for the Council to introduce a Designated Public Places Order (DPPO), which would help to stop public drinking and anti social behaviour in the Mill Road area of Cambridge.

I launched a petition back in October 2003 in support of a DPPO and two thousand signatures were collected. The Lib Dem council has denounced DPPOs as being 'impractical and illiberal' and is determined to push for a byelaw instead. DPPOs will not curtail the right to drink alcohol in public if they are not causing offence to others. The Lib Dems have also claimed that introducing a DPPO will move street drinking from Mill Road to other areas in Cambridge. Again this is not the case. If street drinking were to become a problem in other areas of the city, then the Council could identify these in a DPPO and the same powers would apply. The Council would have the opportunity to amend and revoke the DPPO in reaction to trends and patterns in street drinking.

It is clear that the public would prefer a DPPO, and I hope that the Council will act upon what residents have been telling them for months.