Anti-social behaviour brings misery to local residents

Kenyon Confronts will be broadcast on Wednesday, 5 November, 2003 at 1930 GMT on BBC One.

In the war against crime on Britain's streets, one of the government's big ideas was the Asbo (anti-social behaviour order), which clamps down on young louts and yobs who terrorise their local community.

The orders require young offenders to behave, and can ban them from going into areas in which they have caused disruption.

The offenders live under pain of a prison sentence if they break the restrictions.

In Yobs - Busting the Ban, Paul Kenyon goes undercover to reveal how hundreds of young tearaways are ignoring the bans and flouting the law.

In an exclusive survey of local authorities he discovers that the Asbo system is on the point of collapse.

Legal experts and victims of out-of-control teenagers explain why they believe the government has failed to appreciate the hard core criminality of these youngsters, and why putting them behind bars should not be seen as a soft option.

Producer: Matthew Chapman
Director: Derek Jones
Series producer: Sam Anstiss
Executive producer: Paul Woolwich