Thousands of yobs are to be photographed and videoed in big-brother style police operations to tackle persistent antisocial behaviour, the Home Secretary announced today.

Suspects will be “harassed” by officers visiting them day and night and issued with repeated warnings about their behaviour under the drive to deal with a hard core of offenders who persist with yobbish behaviour on estates.

Jacqui Smith said: “People feel they are the ones under attack. I want to turn the tables on the people causing the misery to others.”

Ms Smith hailed the harassment of hardcore troublemakers and persistent offenders only minutes before the Home Office published figures showing a surge in the number of anti-social behaviour orders being breached and a fall in the number issued.

The number of Asbos issued fell by 34 per cent between 2005 and 2006 to 2,706 while the overall breach rate has risen to just under 50 per cent.

The breach rate of Asbos issued between 2000 and December 2006 was 49 per cent compared with 47 per cent in December 2005. The breach rate for those age 10 to 17 was 61 per cent and for those over 18 it was 43 per cent.

In a renewed attempt to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour, the Home Secretary wants tactics used by police in Essex to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour used against troublemakers.

Ms Smith said: “There is no let up in tackling antisocial behaviour. We know that getting in early to stop troublemakers works but I want stronger action to deal with persistent offenders.

“I want police and local agencies to focus on them by giving them a taste of their own medicine — daily visits, repeated warnings and relentless filming of offenders to create an environment where there is nowhere to hide.”

She added:” There can be no excuse for inaction while people still fear for the safety of the streets and estates where they live. We will do more to protect them. We all need to sharpen our resolve to tackle both the symptoms and the causes of antisocial behaviour.”

Under Operation Leopard officers in Essex knocked on the doors of known offenders, warned them that their behaviour would not be tolerated and then photographed them and their associates for the next four days as they walked around an estate in the town.

Burglaries, criminal damage and care crime was halted during the course of the operation which was carried out in January this year on the Vange estate in Basildon.

The suspects were identified by police after asking residents on the estate who was causing problems.

The suspects were well known to police having built up criminal records for offences including burglary, intimidation, criminal damage, vehicle crime and antisocial behaviour.

Initially the targeted suspects and their friends laughed and joked at being photographed and being asked to provide police with their personal details but their attitude changed when the police continued with the tactics day after day.

Sixty stop-checks were carried out during the course of the operation and there were five stop and searches. Four associates of the fourteen suspects were arrested.

Chief Inspector Mark Wheeler, who helped develop the operation, said: "The tactic used in Operation Leopard was simple yet very effective.

"It gave known offenders and their associates a clear message we will follow them, film them and arrest them to stop them committing crime."

Ms Smith heralded the tactics used by the police in Basildon as an example of the kind of operation that police in co-operation with local residents and the council can use elsewhere in the country to target persistent and prolific offenders involved in antisocial behaviour.

Despite Ms Smith's praise for Operation Leopard she offered no additional money to other police forces who might wish to adopt a similar strategy but instead highlighted the Government shift of emphasis towards early intervention with youngsters and families in an attempt to deal with problems before they are so bad that an anti social behaviour order is issued.

Although Liberty, the civil rights group, claimed that the tactics used by Essex police were “heavy handed”, residents on the estate welcomed them, saying that it had made the streets safer.

Ms Smith also called for more sharing of information between police, local councils and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to ensure that those involved in antisocial behaviour are paying council tax and have up to date driving licences and vehicle insurance.

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