The police service is determined to keep up the pressure on persistent anti-social behaviour offenders, Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary and ACPO lead on neighbourhood policing Matt Baggott has said.

Responding to a speech on anti-social behaviour made last week by the Home Secretary, CC Matt Baggott said:

“We know from experience that persistent offenders have a disproportionately unwelcome impact on neighbourhoods through anti-social behaviour, and that is why police forces across the country have strategies in place for successfully targeting those few who are responsible for repeat offending. The rollout of neighbourhood policing teams to every area, committed to understanding their communities and tackling local issues, gives us new impetus as we bear down on anti-social behaviour wherever it occurs. The significant and sustained rise in confidence in policing shows we are having an impact.

“Across regions the police service will adopt strategies appropriate to dealing with the particular problems in each area. Nationally, there is an opportunity to learn from best practice and with other local agencies, share lessons where focussed approaches have proved successful.

“ACPO welcomes the Home Secretary’s call for wider use of anti-social behaviour powers and for using those powers to intervene earlier, to divert young people responsible for crime and disorder early in their criminal careers. For those that persist, or who commit serious crimes, we will resort to the full weight of the law to curtail their offending. We would encourage our partners in strategic and crime and disorder partnerships to get personal with persistent offenders and deal thoroughly with both their behaviour and its cause.”