By Dominic Casciani BBC News Online community affairs reporter

Hooliganism: Target of bill, say ministers

A poll of under-16s conducted for the charities found that a majority of those surveyed believed the legislation would create tension between children and police.

The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill is being debated in the House of Lords on Thursday and is expected to become law within months.

But the coalition, including the UK's leading children's charities, say the proposals go too far and risk breaching human rights.

Tough powers

The bill aims to toughen up previous anti-social behaviour legislation by removing the requirement to consult before using curfew powers.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR BILL: MEASURES AFFECTING TEENS Powers to disperse groups of two or more people Powers to return a child under the age of 16 to their home Removal of reporting restrictions for children subject to Anti-Social Behaviour Orders Parenting 'contracts' where children have been excluded from schools Measures face Lords test

Under the plans, police officers will be able to break up or move on two or more people even if they are not suspected of having broken the law.

Officers will also have the power to impose curfews on under-16s by taking them home if they are found outside without an adult after 9pm.

Home Secretary David Blunkett has dismissed the campaign against the powers, saying it fails to recognise that communities expected sanctions against those who are making their lives a misery.

Survey findings

In the survey of more than 700 under-16s, almost three-quarters said the police should not have powers to move on children if they have not done anything wrong.

TEENAGE DISPERSAL PROPOSALS This is the imposition of government morality in relation to 15-year-olds who have done nothing more wrong than be on the street on a warm summer's night in the school holidays Anthony Jennings QC Are we criminalising teenagers?

Four out of five said they believed curfews were unfair - a figure that rose to nine out of 10 among 15 and 16-year-olds. Some 60% said they believed curfews would stop them doing things they enjoyed, such as playing outside.

Asked whether the police were important in making them feel safe, less than half of 15 and 16-year-olds agreed.

In an earlier survey of seven to 15-year-olds this year, four out of 10 questioned said hanging around with friends on the street was a positive thing to do.

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of the Children's Society, said: "It is essential that problem behaviour is tackled. But these plans are discriminatory and, if they go ahead, will damage the trust between adults and children.

"Police powers to disperse groups and fast-track child curfews may penalise law-abiding children with nowhere to meet.

"No wonder the children we spoke to felt this was divisive."

Mr Reitemeier said the government was planning to restrict the freedom of children without having asked them what they thought.

"Parents and children also tell us that they prefer to meet up with a group of friends, it makes them feel safer," he said. "Yet the Government is now planning to legislate against this."

The charity coalition includes Barnardo's, The Children's Society, the NSPCC, Save the Children and the YMCA.

It wants the government to amend the bill to prevent curfews against children without first consulting local communities.

The charities say their legal opinion suggests that even if the bill is enacted, it could face a string of human rights challenges because its powers are so sweeping.

But the government has defended it, saying there are checks and balances built into the powers preventing a police officer from using them without the authority of a superior.