Byrne welcomes new powers to tackle menacing minority

Liam Byrne, MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, today welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of new powers for local communities to fight yobs and neighbours who make life miserable for the law abiding majority.

The announcement came as part of the Prime Minister’s Respect Agenda ‘action plan’ which includes new measures to make parent’s accountable for the behaviour of their children, offering support to parents struggling to raise problem children, as well as establishing a National Academy. There are also extended conditional cautioning and parenting orders, and extra funding will be available to help pioneer ways of making offenders do unpaid work.

Liam especially welcomed positive measures included in the action plan to stop children getting involved in crime in the first place, by encouraging more voluntary work, and expanding the role of sport in local communities. The Hodge Hill MP hopes that he can harness these new powers to work alongside his plans to make Hodge Hill the best place to be a young person in Birmingham.

Other measures include an increase in penalty notices for disorder which can be issued on the street, from £80 to £100. This means that many of the everyday crimes that don’t get to court such as graffiti, verbal abuse and minor assaults, can be tackled on the spot.

Liam is now keen to see these powers in action on the streets of Hodge Hill, and began talks last week with local police chiefs about the possibility of bringing new Police Community Support Officers to the Hodge Hill this year.

Liam said

‘I think the majority of residents’ in Hodge Hill will welcome the ‘Action Plan’ announced today. It’s just not right that a few yobs and neighbours from hell should be able to make communities no go areas for the law abiding citizen. I want to see positive support available, and help where deep rooted problems exist, but I also want action against the minority of people who are committed to causing chaos.’

‘I want to see the positive aspects of these plans implemented in Hodge Hill as soon as possible, because by giving young people more things to do, I think we remove any excuse for anti-social behaviour’.

‘Of course for these new powers to be effective, we need officers on the ground throughout our local communities. That is why I’m in talks with local police chiefs at the moment about getting new resources into the area this year’.

ENDS