Responding to young people's involvement in anti-social behaviour. A study of local initiatives in Manchester and Glasgow

Much current policy and media debates about anti-social behaviour in the UK have
focused upon the presence and activities of groups of young people in residential
spaces. Recent legislation has introduced new mechanisms for regulating the conduct
of young people in public spaces, including anti-social behaviour orders, curfew orders
and dispersal orders. This article provides a comparative evaluation of two local initiatives
specifically aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour amongst groups of young people.
The first initiative comprised the operation of a dispersal order scheme in an area of
EastManchester. The second initiative involved a social landlord funding additional
police patrols in a local neighbourhood in Glasgow. The article explores the rationale
and operation of both these initiatives and the roles and responsibilities for different
agency and community actors. It continues by identifying the outcomes of the initiatives
on levels of anti-social behaviour and the wider impacts on community relations and
exploring the perceptions of housing and police officers, adult residents and young
people themselves.