Nasty Neighbour Plan 'Belated'

A plan on how police can more effectively deal with nasty neighbours has been criticised by the Labour Party who say it's "belated" and "weak".

The strategy, launched by Teresa May on Monday, will give communities tougher protection from anti-social behaviour and be piloted in the summer, the Home Secretary said.

Under the plans, action must be taken to tackle nuisance behaviour if five people in different homes across the same neighbourhood complain. Community Safety Partnerships, made up of police and councils, will be able to reject any complaints they believe are malicious.

Theresa May said she wanted to put an end to the “horror stories” of victims being ignored despite making repeated complaints to the authorities about problem neighbours.

However, responding to the briefing, Labour's Shadow Home Office Minister Gloria DePiero said: "This is a belated and weak announcement from the Home Secretary which shows how out of touch she is with the anti-social behaviour problems many communities face.

"After 2 years of doing nothing to tackle anti-social behaviour, the Home Secretary has to do better than a few pilots that won't start until the summer, and which seem to suggest that anti-social behaviour should not be taken seriously if only two or three people complain.

"Most right minded people will also wonder why it should take 5 different people complaining to get a response from agencies that are there to protect the public and deal with the minority who can make life unbearable. Even if only one person complains, their concerns should be investigated and treated seriously.

(DW)