How we are hitting back

Louise Casey looked visibly disgusted when she was told how louts had been hurling bagged-up dog mess at an old folks home.

"I'm astonished," said Ms Casey, who travels the country hearing about anti-social problems.

"I just can't believe anyone would do that."

Ms Casey who heads the Home Office's Anti-Social Behaviour Unit was in town to launch the It's Your Call drive to nail thugs.

During a whistle-stop tour, she met Freshbrook residents to hear how crime-fighting measures had eased problems at their village centre.

Although appalled at the conduct of local youths, she was encouraged by the way the community had taken a stand.

The residential complex on the receiving end of the dog mess was Elsie Hazell House.

Wardens told her that harassment around the shops had been so bad that many elderly folk still won't go there in the evenings.

Ms Casey heard how gangs of up 20 louts had plagued the shopping parade for months.

Eggs and stones were hurled around, walls covered in graffiti and shoppers sworn at.

Because of the trouble, local businesses had lost money.

But the yobs had been sent packing by a crackdown launched six-months ago.

A dispersal order meant that gangs could be made to break-up and unaccompanied youngsters under the age of 16 taken home at night.

In addition, a 16-year-old boy had been banned from the area under a temporary ASBO.

Shopkeepers and residents said that the measures had been a resounding success.

And Ms Casey had a tough message for louts trying to tear the neighbourhood apart.

"It makes me so upset and angry when I hear about elderly people being too scared to go out," she said.

"I mean what on earth is going inside the minds of kids who throw dog mess at people's windows?

"How can that be fun?"

Ms Casey has spearheaded several crackdowns on unruly behaviour.

"What really troubles me is that people don't have to behave like this in the first place.

"Through It's Your Call, we are saying we are in the majority, you are in the minority, and we will not take it any more."

She praised locals who had diligently logged problems.

Their diaries provided valuable evidence, which meant that Swindon's crime and disorder team could apply for the dispersal orders. One of those worst affected by the trouble was Arno Morsink, who runs the bar at Freshbrook Community Centre.

"I've had sticks and stones thrown at me, and the kids would keep running into the centre, causing mayhem," he said.

"Since the dispersal order was imposed and the ASBO taken out we've had fewer problems.

"But it really bothers me that you don't see OAPs in the bar in the evenings."

Another business targeted was the Hairworks salon.

Bosses were forced to install metal shutters to protect against stones.

Manager Charlotte Mason, 19, lives nearby and still doesn't feel safe walking alone at night.

"On Thursdays we open until 8pm, but people were too scared to come here," she said.

"Things have got better, and the gangs don't hang around outside anymore.

"I still won't walk anywhere near here alone at night though."

ASBOs are the major weapon

ASBOs are at the heart of the Government's fight to rid our streets of crime.

An interim ASBO currently bans 16-year-old Leon Morris from Freshbrook Village Centre.

The teenager, of Godolphin Close, Freshbrook, faces a full court hearing later this month.

He is alleged to be the ringleader of a gang which has been terrorising the centre.

Besides being used in Freshbrook, ASBOs have helped tackle crime in other areas of Swindon. Introduced in 1999, the orders are tailor-made to individual troublemakers, and breaches can result in up to five years in prison.

They usually ban offenders from areas where they have been causing a nuisance, and can remain in force for up to two years. In Swindon, they have been used to tackle teenage tearaways and prostitutes.

Orders help keep control

Dispersal orders are another powerful tool available to crime-fighters.

Police have used them to tackle anti-social gangs plaguing several areas of town.

They have been used in Stratton, Pinehurst, Moredon, Haydon Wick, Greenmeadow and Toothill.

The orders are a throwback to old-fashioned Dixon of Dock Green policing.

Constables can take under-16s home if they are found after 9pm without a responsible adult.

Unruly gangs can be ordered to disperse, and troublemakers returning within 24 hours can be arrested and taken before the courts.

The blitz can last for six-months, but can be renewed.

Fresh orders have just been imposed at Shaw Ridge and the West Swindon District Centre.

What you should report

The hotline 0845 605 2222 is for reports of:

Rowdy behaviour and gangs

Intimidation and harassment

Litter, rubbish and fly-tipping

Graffiti and vandalism

Abandoned vehicles

Nuisance neighbours

Begging and street drinking

Crackhouses and drug dealing

Prostitution

Call will be answered by Swindon's crime and disorder team. Besides needing details of problems, they want to know about the culprits.

Names, addresses and descriptions will help nail offenders and prevent future problems.

While they would prefer callers leave their names and contact details, information can be left anonymously.

Once action is taken, feedback cards will be sent to residents explaining what steps have been taken.

Call are charged at local rates.

Tamash Lal