a guide to improving your local environment - Keep Britain Tidy

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A total of 4,483 ASBOs were issued in England between
April 1999 and December 2004.
How is an ASBO made
ASBOs are civil orders made in court. They can be applied
for by local authorities, police forces (including the British
Transport Police) and by Registered Social Landlords, but
not by members of the public. They are community-based
orders that involve local people in the collection of
evidence and in helping to monitor breaches. The civil
status of ASBOs means hearsay and professional witness
evidence can be heard in ASBO applications. This is an
extremely important feature of ASBOs because those
subjected to the anti-social behaviour or those reporting
the behaviour can be protected.
ANTI-SOCIAL
BEHAVIOUR
What is an Acceptable Behaviour Contract
An Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC) is a voluntary
written agreement between a person who has been
involved in anti-social behaviour and one or more local
agencies whose role it is to prevent such behaviour (e.g.
police and housing). ABCs are most commonly used for
young people but may also be used for adults. Examples
of terms in ABCs include agreements not to:
• Damage property;
• Verbally abuse passers-by;
• Write graffiti;
• Throw stones or other objects;
• Congregate in groups;
• Climb on public or private property.
As at April 2002, there were over 170 ABC schemes
across the country and over 1,800 ABCs in place.
How is an ABC made
ABC is an informal procedure, though not without legal
significance, aimed at stopping the problem behaviour
rather than punishing the offender. The conditions of an
ABC will be agreed by the subject of the ABC and local
agencies such as the police, school and social services.
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