Thank you for your 21 February e-mail. I will put down a Written Question on how much has been raised from antisocial behaviour fines and inform you of the answer.
The policy of using ASBOs was never “agreed” as such by the Assembly, as crime and law and order are reserved matters and are decided in Westminster. The South Wales Police use ASBOs as a last resort. The vast majority of cases are resolved after a warning letter – this is not generally the case in the rest of the UK.
Anti-social behaviour legislation says that an application for an ASBO can be made “if it appears … that the person has acted … in an anti-social manner, that is to say, in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one of more persons not of the same household as himself; and … that such an order is necessary to protect persons from further anti-social acts by him”. The point about necessity appears to make sure that other avenues of action are taken before an ASBO is applied for.
I hope that this is useful. I will get back to you with the answer to the Written Question.
Yours sincerely
Julie Morgan MP