Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to (a) ensure young perpetrators of anti-social behaviour are arrested and charged and (b) prevent them from reoffending.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour (ASB), including the civil injunction which can be issued by a court to under 18s.

The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately flexible in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances of each individual case.

Police and local authorities can apply to the courts for a civil injunction to prevent those under 18 from committing further ASB. The civil injunction can also include positive requirements, to address the underlying causes of their behaviour. The court can attach a power of arrest to the civil injunction where there is the use, or threatened use, of violence against other persons or there is a significant risk of harm to other persons from the respondent. If the applicant thinks the respondent has breached a term of the injunction to which a power of arrest has not been attached, they may apply to the court for an arrest warrant.

​The Government’s published Plan for Change sets out clear direction on how we will tackle ASB, which includes, by July, ensuring a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local ASB action plan. We are also delivering on our commitment to restore and strengthen neighbourhood policing and as announced in the Police Funding Settlement, we are doubling the funding available to a total of £200 million in 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel.