 Asbos aim to tackle a range of disruptive behaviour |
The number of Anti-social Behaviour Orders in Scotland has doubled in the past two years, according to ministers. A total of 283 orders were granted up to April this year - amounting to a rise of 38% on 2004-05.
Dundee, North Lanarkshire and North Ayrshire made the heaviest use of Asbos, but Argyll and Bute Council has yet to have one granted by the courts.
However, the SNP branded Asbos a "short-term fix", after just under a third of orders were breached.
Deputy Justice Minister Johann Lamont said the figures showed that disruption, intimidation and abuse were all being tackled.
She said: "Asbos are increasingly found to be an appropriate and effective way of bringing an end to the blight of anti-social behaviour.
"That's clearly why their use in Scotland has doubled in the last two years. "
The Scottish Executive claimed the statistics also showed it was a "myth" that all anti-social behaviour was caused solely by teenage males.
Most Asbo perpetrators were over the age of 25 and one-third were women.
The figures also revealed that, of the 486 orders in force, 153 were allegedly breached.
SNP justice spokesman Kenny MacAskill said: "When a third of Asbos are breached, it's clear they are not working as a long term solution.
"If we are ever going to tackle the problem of crime and reoffending then we must take action to address the root causes instead of more of the same old failures proposed by Mr McConnell's tired government whose record on crime is in meltdown."
'Causes havoc'
Margaret Mitchell, Conservative justice spokeswoman, said Asbos had been a "total failure" in tackling youth disorder among the under-15s.
"Even for adults, Asbos alone will not solve the problem," she said.
"What is desperately required is for local authorities and housing associations to ensure tenancy agreements are properly enforced.
"This avoids the situation where an unauthorised person moves into that accommodation and causes havoc."
Anti-social Behaviour Orders provide a range of measures, from fixed-penalty notices to dispersal orders.
More than 3, 000 fines were handed out in Tayside during a fixed penalty pilot scheme.
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Even for adults, Asbos alone will not solve the problem
