Immediate Justice Scheme to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour

Immediate Justice Scheme to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour

In March, our Conservative Government announced new measures to deliver their Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan.  I welcome this as anti-social behaviour is an issue that is raised frequently as a local concern by residents, with Crawley being run by Labour Councillors that prefer to go after people walking their dogs on Tilgate Golf Course paths, than be tough on those who ruin our town by behaving anti-socially.         

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is unacceptable and political parties shouldn’t be soft on it for fear of losing the potential votes of the perpetrators.  ASB prevents people from enjoying their local area, can make more vulnerable members of society feel unsafe, and erodes the sense of community that we like to have.

Nationally, the government is launching 16 ‘hotspot’ policing or ‘immediate justice’ schemes, increasing the number of police patrols and requiring offenders of anti-social behaviour to repair damage, while investing £1.4 million for every police force area in the country as part of the Safer Streets Fund.

I’m pleased to see that Sussex is one of the 16 hotspot areas which means we will be seeing this in Crawley.  Sussex has been chosen as a trailblazer for the new ‘Immediate Justice’ pilot and our Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne, will receive extra funding from Government to develop this.

The Immediate Justice scheme will see offenders paying back to the community through unpaid work and repairing damage and harm they may have caused.  The Plan will also see the establishment of a national Anti-Social Behaviour Taskforce bringing together Police and Crime Commissioners, police forces, local partners and agencies.

‘Payback’ will differ across areas depending upon the age of the offender and it will also focus on prevention of future crimes, helping perpetrators to understand the consequences of their actions.  To find out which reparation activities the people of Sussex are keen to see in the Immediate Justice scheme, our Sussex PCC Katy Bourne has issued a new survey asking for local opinions.  I would encourage Crawley residents to take part and it can be easily found on the Sussex PCC website.

 

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

12th July 2023

 

 

You may also be interested in

Labour's Missions - Borrow, Overspend, Tax and Reduce Economic Growth

There are three significant political events taking place over eight days from 30 October. I have already voted for Kemi Badenoch in the Conservative Party leadership contest. The winner will be announced on Saturday 2 November. Whoever wins, after such a large defeat at the general election, the work can then start in earnest to rebuild the party and hold the government to account.