TONY BLAIR will today put a clampdown on bad parents at the heart of his measures to improve respect and tackle antisocial behaviour.

In his first speech since returning from holiday, the Prime Minister will assert that families are central to the Government’s attempt to free people from loutish behaviour in their cities and towns.

He will say that bad parenting is not a private matter for the family that the State can ignore. It is a phenomenon that affects everyone as one of the biggest causes of antisocial behaviour.

He will announce a big extension in the use of parenting orders, under which the courts can require parents to do more to control their children by making them go to school, comply with evening curfews and attend behavioural classes.

At present they can be applied for by the police or local education authorities after criminal or antisocial behaviour acts have been committed and antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued. But, under plans to be unveiled by Mr Blair today, the Government intends to allow the authorities to apply for parenting orders in cases where it is thought that there is a risk of crimes or antisocial behaviour taking place.

Mr Blair will also announce that he is to widen the groups that can apply for parenting orders to include local authority housing officers, to help them to tackle outbreaks of antisocial behaviour on housing estates, and antisocial behaviour teams. He will hint that schools may also be able to apply for such orders under proposals shortly to come from Sir Alan Steer’s committee on school discipline.

Mr Blair will say today that his new “respect” laws, to be published in November, will go further than before in “protecting the law-abiding majority” from a “dangerous irresponsible minority”. The system must be changed to protect the majority from the actions of a minority whose behaviour threatens decency, security and the well-being of everyone else.

Mr Blair will say that the Government has a good record in tackling antisocial behaviour but that it should go further. Last year there were 60,000 fixed-penalty notices on bad behaviour, 4,000 ASBOs and 400 dispersal orders; 6,500 new community support officers came on line to help the police. But the Government has to go further in tackling the phenomenon. Opening up the groups of people who can apply for parenting orders and allowing them to be applied for when there is a risk of antisocial behaviour would be an important contribution.

Mr Blair will say that there is nothing inevitable about rising antisocial behaviour.

About 1,400 parenting orders were made last year after children were made subject to ASBOs. A further 220 were made as a result of school expulsions.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Time-worn Freddie gives up Test matches
• Brighton company 'involved in cyber attack'
• The art of survival: it’s all in the mind