Low takeup of Asbos for under 16s

Council leader says children's hearing system needs to adapt to the new law

News, 22 November 2005

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Only two antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) have been handed out to teenagers aged between 12 and 15 since the Executive's Antisocial Behaviour Act came into being a year ago.

A total of 210 adult Asbos were handed out by the courts in 2004-05, with more than 1,500 fixed penalty notices given to low-level offences such as breach of the peace or urinating in public.

Donald Anderson, leader of Edinburgh City Council, said the lack of juvenile Asbos handed out was because the children's hearing system needed to adapt to the new legislation. He said the fact that there had only been one Asbo issued to an under 16-year-old in Edinburgh was because of the difficulty in getting Asbos through the system.

In addition to the low level of Asbos given to under 16s, no parenting orders, which force parents who have recklessly or deliberately failed their children to accept support, have been issued.

Speaking in Edinburgh yesterday, Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson stressed that Asbos were only part of the legislation. She added that she expected everyone to use the legislation, but that she thought there was still some way to go.

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