Lib Dems Get Real Results on Crime (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Lib Dems Get Real Results on Crime

January 5, 2005 3:08 PM

Lib Dem Councillor Jyoti Vaja Executive member for Housing and Community Safety will tonight reveal the success of the Lib Dem Council's work to tackle crime and Anti Social Behaviour.

Councillor Jyoti Vaja said

"Over the last year Islington Council has taken tough action to tackle crime and Anti-Social Behaviour. This has directly contributed to a significant improvement in the quality of life for many thousands of Islington residents.

"We have evicted neighbours from hell, banned kerb crawlers and installed new security on many estates. Making Islington a safe and pleasant place to live is the council's top priority and we are proud of what we have done."

Islington's Track record so far -

Since February 2004 the council has removed neighbours from hell by closing 4 crack houses with Drug Closure Orders. This is the highest number of closures of any authority in London. Islington has evicted tenants where their lifestyle has caused prolonged suffering to neighbours. Taken the first steps towards eviction for tenants who make life miserable for those around them through 'demoted tenancies'. We have made the streets safer for women by disqualifying Kerb Crawlers from driving. We have installed CCTV and concierge services in many estates which make a real difference to residents lives. The Safer Neighbourhoods Scheme is being extended so that more residents can benefit from dedicated local police teams working in their area. Islington issued 8 ASBOs last year and 36 Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs). We are tackling problems caused by large groups of youths and cigarette sellers. We have committed £850,000 for next year to dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour on estates.

Islington Council believes that the correct approach to anti-social behaviour is to make sure that we get the best results. Although we have used Anti-Social Behaviour orders (ASBOs) where they are the most appropriate solution, we are aware that nation-wide ASBOs have a 35% failure rate. The Liberal Democrats maintain that this is because they remove people rather than deal with problems. The Lib Dems' ASBO Plus scheme would mean that people given an ASBO are also offered the support they need to change their behaviour whether this is drug rehabilitation or educational support.