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Reading Chronicle

Reading Chronicle

Published: Wednesday, 15th July, 2009 6:00am

Council hits back at Home Office yob figures

Profile by Adam Hewitt

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GOVERNMENT hit squads are coming to Reading to tackle the town"s anti-social behaviour problem - but the council insists the Home Office is using faulty data.

Reading is one of 16 council areas getting the treatment, linked to a new Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Action website launched by Home Secretary Alan Johnson on Monday [14].

But the website, aimed at providing people with more information about the problem in their area, has been accused by Reading Borough Council (RBC) of using out-of-date information. It shows that 27% of people in Reading think yobbish behaviour is a problem, compared to 12.6% in West Berkshire and 9.9% in Wokingham.

The high proportion of people in Reading seeing ASB as a problem is a factor in the Government sending in its action squad, but council spokeswoman Jo Mill said: 'It is unfortunate that a significant amount of data used on the Home Office website is out of date and does not reflect the current position in Reading.'

She said lots had happened in the last year, such as using more alcohol-related disorder and dispersal orders, and that the ASBO statistics especially were very out-of-date.

She added: 'Reading is in no way complacent about the challenges we face as a borough and, as such, welcomes the Home Office"s offer of additional support from the ASB Action Squad to complement the wide range of work it carries out on behalf of Reading residents.'

Lib Dem communities spokesman Cllr Gareth Epps said: 'It really is a damning indictment of Labour"s policies in Reading that the Government has designated the borough as one of the worst hotspots in the country.'

The website also gives annual statistics for 2003-2008 showing how many ASB-related injunctions, acceptable behaviour contracts and agreements, parenting orders, crack house closures and eviction orders have been made in each area.

Link: www.direct.gov.uk/antisocialbehaviour

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