Majority of Asbos in Scotland breached

More than half the antisocial behaviour orders issued in Scotland may have been breached, new research has shown.

Sheriff courts dealt with 303 Asbo breaches in 2004-5, data collected for the Scottish executive shows. But, according to local authorities, there were 547 Asbos in force at the time, suggesting more than half were breached.

However, researchers said it was unclear whether the data included multiple breaches of an order by the same person.

Keith Simpson, head of development and research at crime-reduction charity Sacro, said the findings questioned the effectiveness of Asbos and when they should be used.

The research also revealed that councils and registered social landlords were granted 210 Asbos last year out of 287 applications made.

However, four councils did not apply for any, the rate of applications dropped over the year and more authorities were using acceptable behaviour contracts instead.

Findings from www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/0291958/19592