A long time ago when I was a Hong Kong cop I learnt to say "move along son - or else" in colloquial Chinese. These days, things are a little more complicated for our boys and girls in blue. Go here to see explanations for the penalties that the police can impose.I went to an evening session this week attended by parish and district councillors put on by the South Cambs Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership. The purpose was to help us to understand more about what can be done to tackle anti-social behaviour. The team of very switched on and articulate police officers - led by Insp Savage from Sawston - talked us through the various routes by which bad behaviour is tackled, including housing schemes and the district council. The fire service were there too, because they also do a lot of this, trying to curb arson.
Yes, some of it was complex, and there are surprisingly small numbers of ASBOs issued in Cambridgeshire, but at the same time you can see why it is worth making the effort and focussing attention and strategies on some of these youngsters before something serious happens and they are inside the criminal justice system, and re-offending and all the rest of it.
Two pretty crucial points: Asbos are for adults too, and a lot of unpleasant behavior which comes under the banner is caused by adults, even people in their sixties and seventies. Half of the referrals are about grown-ups. Secondly, there isn't a great deal of crime round here and we should be thankful for it. I think a number of us attending had the terrible events in Leicstershire which have been in the news this week at the back of our minds
The really useful thing was understanding a bit more about the various penalties and actions that can be taken, so that if we need to ask the police for help, we have a basic knowledge.
Next Monday is the neighbourhood policing panel at Sawston V C.
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