Posted on 01/10/2006 7:11:58 PM PST by formercalifornian
Unruly home owners face eviction
Launching a barrage of measures to combat yobbish behaviour, he said the Government was consulting on a new "house closure order" to bring relief to those suffering from the "misery" of nuisance neighbours.
This included "noise, constant visitors at all hours, rubbish and vandalism".
It would empower the authorities in England and Wales to seal a property for up to three months, and evicted families would be rehoused in special residential units.
Hazel Blears, the Home Office minister, confirmed the measures would apply to people with mortgages or who owned their homes outright, and would not be confined to council tenants.
Eviction by a court order would be a last resort, but ministers said it could be used against students who annoyed their neighbours with loud music. A similar power is already employed to close houses used by drug dealers.
Downing Street said about 50 problem families in each local government area were responsible for most of the anti-social behaviour. Many of the measures are targeted directly at them, including sanctions against parents who refuse to co-operate in taking action to improve the behaviour of "out of control" children.
Mr Blair said his aim was to "restore the liberty of the law-abiding citizen". He admitted that, after eight years with Labour in power, the criminal justice system was still failing to protect the public, because society was fighting "21st-century crime with 19th-century methods".
He told a summit of social workers at No 10 that the Government's "respect action plan" would bypass cumbersome "judge and jury" court processes and introduce more summary justice.
Mr Blair cited the example of a yob spitting at an old lady on the way to the shops. It was a crime, but was rarely prosecuted because the police did not think that it was worth the time involved.
Now officers were able to mete out instant justice for anti-social behaviour by imposing an £80 fixed penalty notice fine - soon to be raised to £100. The system had reversed the traditional burden of proof and anyone who wanted to challenge the fine had to appeal to a court.
There will be more use of anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) and "conditional cautions", where offenders are required to do unpaid work to make amends for criminal damage instead of going to court.
The launch of the respect agenda followed Labour research showing that yobbish behaviour, out of control children and problem neighbours were the public's main concern, blighting life on some housing estates.
Mr Blair said he was not trying to go back to some "golden age".
But he said the Government wanted to foster a sense of responsibility and respect, intervening at an earlier stage to help those families in crisis, whose children were "roaming the streets and disrupting classrooms". Schools and other authorities would be able to apply for parenting orders.
These would require parents to attend special classes giving advice on how keep their offspring under control and ensure they did not play truant.
As well as punitive measures, there would be an expansion of sport and activities for young people.
The plans would force police and council officials to hold "face the people" sessions to explain what action they were taking. Where people were not satisfied, they could ask new local scrutiny committees to investigate through "community calls to action".
Mr Blair revived a proposal to withdraw housing benefit from problem families - but stressed that it would apply only to those who refused help, such as attending parental guidance sessions.
The 40-page Action Plan was attacked by David Cameron, the Conservative leader, as a rehashed package of "short-term gimmicks" not long-term solutions. "Tony Blair's recycled crackdowns miss the point," he said. "The issue is too important to be dealt with by 'eye-catching initiatives' designed to get newspaper headlines."
Bob Reitemeier, the chief executive of the Children's Society, said the plan offered nothing more than a "cocktail of policies that have already been launched" together with "shock tactics, such as 'shutting and sealing' families out of their own homes".
Sixteen ministers were dispatched around the country for photo opportunities to highlight the new measures. But Mr Blair encountered some scepticism at Toothill, west Swindon, where he used a high-pressure hose to remove graffiti.
A police officer said the measures would work only if the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts backed them up.
The officer, whose beat includes Toothill, said: "Respect? They can't even spell the word. What they need is to be named and shamed.
"But then even an Asbo is a badge of honour to some of these kids."
Oops. Double headline. Sorry
maybe their home is near a cave..it's ok...it's an echo
Doogle
If you want Englishmen to become polite give everybody a gun or two.
The system had reversed the traditional burden of proof and anyone who wanted to challenge the fine had to appeal to a court.
The camel's nose under the tent, imo.
One question. Are the 'yobs' in question Islamic by any chance? Are they all going to be sent to reeducation housing together?
Oh, I love that site! Thanks for the link.
I found it a few years ago on Gardenweb and then they pulled it. Alas, I didn't have it bookmarked and thought it was lost to the ages.
Now I can have a good laugh all over again. Thanks much!
"Special residential units", eh? I think those are called "prisons" in the U.S.
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