Britain | Neighbourhood watch

Britain announces another crackdown on anti-social behaviour

Good ideas jostle with bad ones

27/03/2023. Chelmsford , United Kingdom. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks with Police Officers through Chelmsford high street to highlight government policy on Anti Social Behaviour. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street / eyevineContact eyevine for more information about using this image:T: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709E: info@eyevine.comhttp://www.eyevine.com
Image: Eyevine

PLANS TO combat anti-social behaviour in Britain tend to elicit hollow laughter. Understandably so. Successive governments have introduced similar-sounding initiatives to tackle what is defined in law as behaviour “likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress”, before quietly shelving them. And now there are fewer police officers around to tackle low-level crimes. The number providing the visible neighbourhood presence that might deter nuisance-makers has fallen over the past decade.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Neighbourhood watch”

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