Town Hall weighing up impact of new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour

Camden Council says it is “assessing all impacts” regarding its new powers to deal with anti-social behaviour (ASB).

On 22 November, the Home Office announced that “hooligans who wreak havoc on local communities” could be jailed for up to two years as a result of updated measures to deal with anti-social behaviour (ASB).

Councils will soon be able to apply for new “respect orders”, which could see individuals banned from town centres, and prohibited from drinking in high streets and other public areas.

When approached by the Citizen, the Town Hall said it was taking time to determine exactly how respect orders will influence its policy. 

A council spokesperson said: “Camden Council takes anti-social behaviour very seriously and our priority is always to ensure that the borough remains a safe place for our residents. 

“We will continue to engage with the government, Greater London Authority and key partners such as the Metropolitan Police to assess the possible impact of these new proposals.”

The borough has been blighted by the issue of ASB for some time.

In September, the Labour-run council held onto the Kilburn ward seat in a by-election where the triumphant candidate acknowledged the problem, alongside litter, was the top concern for voters.

Earlier this year, the Town Hall secured £75,000 from HS2 Ltd to fund community safety patrols in Euston in order to get a grip on ASB linked to the construction site.

The council said it had petitioned the public body for years for support over the problem which was hurting the local community and had only increased since works on the site were paused.

Last week, the social housing Ombudsman published his investigation condemning the council’s “defensive” approach to handling tenant and resident complaints.

The full investigation identified eight counts of maladministration where the Town Hall had received a complaint over ASB, with one case categorised as ‘severe’.

In one case, the watchdog found that, despite being aware of a resident’s mental health conditions and a diagnosis of PTSD, his landlord—Camden Council—failed to adopt a “robust, victim-centred approach” to reports of ASB.

Records show that the behaviour and noise nuisance the man experienced from his neighbours had made him feel suicidal, but the landlord neglected to recognise this for “several years”.

When announcing the new powers as part of the crime and policing bill, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Too many town centres and neighbourhoods across our country are being plagued by anti-social behaviour, be it street drinking, harassment or vandalism on the high street or noisy and intimidating off-road bikes terrorising our estates.

“Anti-social behaviour chips away at communities’ sense of confidence and pride, undermines local businesses and can have a devastating impact on victims.

“This cannot be allowed to continue. Respect orders will give police and councils the powers they need to crack down on repeated anti-social behaviour, keeping our communities safe and ensuring repeat offenders face the consequences of their action.”

Civil liberties campaigners, however, are worried about respect orders being misused by police, and warn of the risks that the new powers could criminalise homelessness.

Akiko Hart, director of campaign group Liberty, called the new respect orders “wholly unnecessary” and “near-identical” to existing civil injunction powers.

She said: “It’s important communities do feel safe, but dragging more people into the criminal justice system is not the way to do it.”

In January, grassroots group Streets Kitchen condemned the local authority and the police following an incident in November 2023 where officers had issued a dispersal order and cleared away tents belonging to rough sleepers outside University College Hospital.

“We were shocked though not surprised to witness the Metropolitan Police and Camden Council’s cruel actions attacking those at perhaps the lowest points of their lives experiencing homelessness.”

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley later admitted officers acted unlawfully during the episode, with tents thrown into bin lorries.

At the time, Camden’s deputy leader Adam Harrison said initial investigations revealed the local authority was involved in the destruction and disposal of the tents.

He said: “It’s important to acknowledge what happened was unacceptable […] it is clear that something has gone wrong here.

“Whilst this dispersal order was applied for by University College Hospital London and enforced by the police, we acknowledge that waste collection services were arranged through the council and our rough sleeping support services were engaged to support people affected.”