'Ludicrous': Home Secretary slams police who leave families like Pilkingtons to be tormented by yobs

Published 14th Oct 2009

Alan Johnson yesterday accused police of having the 'ludicrous and ridiculous' mindset that dealing with loutish behaviour is not their job.

In a blistering attack, the Home Secretary said he was no longer prepared to tolerate police not responding to families besieged by louts.

It follows an outpouring of public anger over the treatment of Fiona Pilkington, 38, who was driven to take her own life and that of her disabled daughter Francecca, 18, after police and councils ignored her pleas for help.
Alan Johnson

On the offensive: Alan Johnson accused police of having the 'ludicrous and ridiculous' mindset that dealing with loutish behaviour is not their job

Last month, at the inquest into their deaths, Superintendent Steve Harrod, from Leicestershire Police, said dealing with 'low level' anti-social behaviour was now the responsibility of town halls, not the police.

Yesterday, in one of the strongest criticisms of the police by a Home Secretary, Mr Johnson said: 'A police officer saying at the inquest that anti-social behaviour is no longer a police matter, it's for local authorities, it's ludicrous and ridiculous.

'It's just totally unexplainable how a police officer could feel like that but it suggests there's a mindset there.'

Mr Johnson said that by March next year he wanted to see an improvement in standards of performance by police, councils and other agencies.

But police representatives blamed the amount of time they dedicate to implementing Home Office ' gimmicks' for cutting the time they have to tackle other police work.

He accepted ministers had 'cruised' on the issue in the recent past and progress had 'stalled' as the focus shifted to counter terrorism.

But he pledged to issue new rules for how breaches of anti-social behaviour orders were handled to make sure they are taken seriously.

In future, when an Asbo is breached by a young person, their parents will automatically be put under a court order.

Victim Support services will be extended to all victims of anti-social behaviour who give evidence against their attackers in magistrates courts, he said.

Simon Reed, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said: 'The government cannot have its cake and eat it.

'They introduce initiative after initiative and expect the service to plough resources into it, without considering the negative impact it may have on other policing functions.

'To start, what is needed is a zero tolerance approach, with sufficient police officers on the streets to tackle anti-social behaviour and a criminal justice system that actually does something about these offenders when we bring them to justice.'

Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling said: 'This looks like yet another top down sticking plaster solution from the Government.

'None of this would have dealt with the troublemakers who caused misery to Fiona Pilkington and are wrecking communities up and down the country, nor does this get police officers away from their desks and onto the streets where they are so desperately needed.'

Liberal Democrat spokesman Chris Huhne said: 'Despite the spin the Government has clearly failed to tackle anti-social behaviour. Asbos are just an ineffective gimmick - they are constantly breached and in many areas they are seen as a badge of honour.

'To tackle anti-social behaviour we need more police on the streets.'

But Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the public recognised that the Government had strengthened its stance on anti-social behaviour orders.

'I think people are getting the message that we are serious, we are looking at how we can make parents equally responsible when young people get into trouble.

'Our duty is to protect the public and prevent young people getting into trouble.'

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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