Star comment: Pioneering bid to cut nuisance
Anti-social behaviour gnaws at the very fabric of society. Communities across our region are plagued by those whose thoughtlessness and irresponsibility degrade our quality of life.
Boy racers, teenage hooligans and other miscreants who care little about the effects their actions have on others seem seldom to be held to account. They get away with actions that in an ideal world would be penalised more quickly.
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Such anti-social behaviour is to be tackled under a new police initiative. Community support officers will be able to ban offenders from specific areas for 48 hours as part of a pioneering scheme in Mid Wales that seeks to deter and prevent low-level crime.
It is a fascinating and creative idea and will be viewed with great interest by other police forces, both regionally and at a national level.
There are reasonable grounds for optimism that the scheme will reduce levels of offending and make our communities more safe. They should also reduce fear of crime.
Swift police intervention will provide some offenders with a short, sharp shock; reminding them that they must abide by the rules to which other, law-abiding residents adhere.
The banning of anti-social citizens from specific areas will also provide a breathing space during which offenders can cool down and consider the effects of their actions.
Of course, there will be some who will not be so easily deterred and officers will continue to use other means at their disposal to tackle such more serious offences.
It remains to be seen whether a 48-hour cooling off period will have a lasting effect, or will be seen by some criminals as being a tame and ineffective slap on the wrist.
However, for all of the potential pitfalls, the new regulations should at least be given a chance. Police now have an additional tool in their armoury to tackle the irritating and obnoxious behaviour to which elderly and vulnerable residents frequently fall prey.
The rules should be seen in a wider context. They are part of a panoply of devices at the police's disposal. They will help, rather than hinder, the fight against low-level crime.
The first serious test of the new regulations will arrive with Halloween, when a minority will take pleasure in activities that scare and frighten some members of society. Officers will be able to intervene and – hopefully – deal effectively and efficiently with the perpetrators of any unsavoury acts.
