Parents of youngsters who engage in anti-social behaviour should have their benefits cut or be evicted from their homes, a think-tank urged last night.
Antisocial behaviour has risen since Labour came to power, with 41 per cent of adults experiencing or witnessing disorder last year, compared with 35 per cent in 2024, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) said.
Last week, more than 200 police were deployed in Middlesbrough to keep residents safe after violence broke out following a car crash on the A66 in which five youths and two officers died.
As concerns mount over Britain’s lawlessness, a CSJ report has called for families to have their benefits docked or be thrown out of social housing if their children terrorise neighbours.
It came as a poll by the Common Ground Justice Project, a campaign group, found more than half the public did not believe the justice system handled anti-social behaviour well.
The CSJ wants social landlords to get the power to repossess their property if any occupant persistently commits anti-social behaviour in their community. Unpaid fines for poor behaviour would be taken in instalments from a tenant’s Universal Credit.
Anti-social behaviour has risen since Labour came to power, with 41 per cent of adults experiencing or witnessing disorder last year compared to 35 per cent the year before (Pictured: A vigil in Middlesbrough)
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on Tuesday: ‘If people do not feel safe on their high streets, they will not visit them’
Councils should also have the power to introduce bans on face coverings in crime hotspots.
The Hijacked High Streets report said a third of the public were concerned about shoplifting, and it recommended that repeat offenders should be subject to GPS tagging, curfews and restrictions blocking them from certain high streets.
Security guards should also get powers to detain shoplifters, with firms expected to report all incidents to police. Ministers should let retailers use facial recognition to catch prolific offenders.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said yesterday: ‘If people do not feel safe on their high streets, they will not visit them.
Mass gatherings of youths swarmed Clapham, south-west London, in what were dubbed ‘link ups’ earlier this year
CSJ chairman Sir Iain Duncan-Smith said anti-social behaviour was ‘the single greatest issue affecting the law-abiding public’ and police and councils of ‘turning a blind eye as it gets worse’.
He added: ‘We must retake our streets from the gangs for the sake of law-abiding citizens.’
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: ‘We have strengthened tools available to police, councils and agencies. Social landlords already have powers to address anti-social behaviour, including seeking possession in serious cases.’
Last night, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Cleveland Police would get an extra £2million to tackle escalating violence following the A66 crash.
