So does wearing a Hooded jacket or a Tracksuit top qualify you to be harassed? stopped? questioned? photographed? video recorded? arrested?

How far will this government go in stripping us of our Civil Liberties?

Those who give up freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security!

Rob, England,

Jacqui Smith panicking?
Labour have had 10 years to sort out this problem
- Strange that they are doing it now with the polls against them and Boris getting tough - stealing his ideas?
Labour have not wanted to upset their voters in the past -
TOO LITTLE - TOO LATE

Margaret, Bristol, UK

And how many forms will the officers have to fill in before and after they 'harass' the yobs?

F Rivas, luton,

I wish that just once the politicians would shut up and actually do something about this.

Larry, Stratford,

This lunacy must stop, I'm all for police on the beat and being visible but this cannot be implemented country wide. It is utter madness to think otherwise.
The problem lies with the courts & CPS.

Effective punishments with realistic sentencing is needed.

Not a copper with a pentax!!
.

Shaun, Newcastle, Tyneside

Andrew T - these harrassment tactics are already being used regularly again "everyday citizens ...engaging in behaviour that violates social mores"

the FIT officers constantly use these tactics against legitimate and non-violent protesters.

Even outside meetings they photograph and question ppl

caroline, london, england

One of the main reasons that 'yobs' have been allowed to rule the streeets is that for years Police Officers have been disciplined after complaints that they have 'harrassed' the poor little souls who made life unbearable for all. Will this Home Secretary reign in the IPCC to protect the Police

Barry Purkis, Havant, England

How is this any different from China, Russia, Nazis? Who decides who is a "yob"? Who is going to protect vulnerable people from police? We have a straight choice - human rights or state fascism. Supporters of this scheme are enemies of freedom and if they become "victims" it serves em right

Andy, Nottingham, UK

Don't forget to fill out your foot long stop and account forms for every yob you challenge! Then back to the station to input it on the stops database.....

steve, coventry,

Why is this necessary when we're constantly being told that crime is falling?

Nevertheless, a good idea. Zero tolerance is the only way forward. It sounds as though this is Boris Johnson's idea in London too. It works.

The usual bleeding hearts will complain but most people will applaud.

Paul Owen, Birmingham, UK

Shout it from the rooftops that were coming and everyone wil be hiding in their holes or under their rocks.
Just do it ! , dont talk about doing it.

Jim, London , UK

Would this actually be necessary if more of our police officers were deployed on the streets, ready and able to keep a watch on trouble-makers on an every day basis, rather than locked away in offices dealing with the paperwork created by Government initiatives?

Oliver, London, UK

This will soon be used against everyday citazens they concider to be "engaging in behavior that violates accepted mores". Nock on your door with camcorder in hand and photograph you and "harrass" you (what ever that entails).

How long before they fingerprint and swab you in the street?

Useless

Andrew T, England, UK,

Does this mean we can retrain all our surplus civil servants that Gordon hired and give them something useful to do WITHOUT costing us a bigger tax bill? Those that currently monitor police paperwork could monitor yobs instead. A purpose for a civil servant - brilliant!

KR, Stockport,

Too true Mike Rigby; without the realisation from "yobs" of what it means to be part of a wider society then it is only a short-term fix

Carl, London,

"Suspects will be harrassed by officers visiting them night and day and issued with repeated warnings about their behaviour"

I think this is a super idea, and one harnessed very effectively by my two toddlers to keep me on the straight and narrow

James Cameron, Barcelona,

Expansion on the 3 strike rule:

Strike 1 - community service/suspended sentance
Strike 2 - heavy fine/lose benefits for stated period of time
Strike 3 - 5 year prison sentance

Give them some structure, even if it is just a structured way of getting to prison.

Tommy, Cheltenham,

sounds pretty similar to putting bobbies on the beat.

Is it not suprising that more police on the street reduces crime.

isn't this what we've been asking for for years.

But the problem were told is cost. so how long do you reckon this initiave will last, i give it a couple months.

keith thomas, liverpool,

"I want police and local agencies to focus on them by giving them a taste of their own medicine...," says the Home Secretary.
I wish someone would give the Home Secretary & her lousy government a taste of their own medicine!

Robert, Hull, Englsnd

"While many are anti-social in the extreme, they are also quite often mentally ill"

That good old phrase - mentally ill. Increasingly used as a euphemism for "doesn't know how/can't be bothered to behave him or herself".

Alex, London,

And as long as we have at least one police officer to every potential criminal, this will work just fine...
How do they differentiate between people who have been anti-social in the past, paid the price and are going straight, and those who plan on reoffending?

Meg, Pembs,

mixed housing does not work, everyone who has lived near a council estate will tell you that! look at the regents park estate in London for example. the youth live across the road from one of the nicest public spaces in europe for free, yet they chose to hang out on street corners in the estate.

dan, London, England

Time for someone with deep pockets to point out the nonsence of the human right legislation.
First challange to this scheme would have it stopped.The yobs have rights and if this does not breach them I would be amazed.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

"yobbish" behavior is rife in the UK, much more so than in the US or Ireland by a long shot.

sam, edinburgh,

Sounds like the 'Task Force' 'Special Patrol Group' or 'Van Squad' policing of the Gene Hunt era. It worked but was discredited by the bad press associated with percieved breaches of civil rights through stop and search etc. Zero tolerance by looking for any transgression works - but expect trouble.

Harry Willis , North Yorkshire ,

Someone in the goverment really ought to read a book. Negative conditioning has far less effect than positive conditioning. You get what you begat. If you start treating people with suspicion then all you will see are suspicious people. Now there are no adult rights left to defend the kid's,get em!

Ben Robinson, Brighton, UK

I think that everybody should have the same human rights BUT they should be qualified rights. If you murder someone then you impliedly surrender your right to life, for example. That way the majority of decent, law-abiding Brits can have our rights, while those who breach the rights of others cannot

Tom, Liverpool, UK

Crime is perpetrated by a small minority whilst the social, tax paying, law abiding, majority suffer. Organisations like Liberty have brought us to where we are now. For the majoritys sake there should be nationwide zero tolerance; all crime should carry much harsher sentencing; prisons would empty.

William, London,

What? Police didn't know that policing decreases crime?

Igor, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Many of the problems that result in the antisocial behaviour of minors is caused by a lack of planning by local Authorities who build housing estates but don't provide adequate social facilities in which young people can mature in an acceptable environment. They need help as well as discipline

Chris, Shannon, Ireland

'the states ........ they simply do not have the yob culture that britain has in the slightest'

Youth murders are calculated in how many per day per State.

The USA has a great propaganda system, but this twaddle should not be published in the UK.

J D S, Cardiff, UK

I hold no brief for yobs, but this is just a soundbite policy. Also, undoubtedly illegal - if any of the "yobs" can afford to press the case.

Mike, Sydney,

I agree with A Jones. What the odds that the police won't use these powers on yobs (that would be too hard) but will focus on ordinary citizems worried about the stripping away of all our civil rights? Just look at the way the "terrorism laws" are being used to prevent lawful and peaceful protest

Spike, High Wycombe, Bucks

A smack around the head would be enough to deter these called 'Asbos' ...Aw we can't do that..they have rights. !!

kirk, Rotherham , UK

Dear Home Secretary Jacqui Smith,
Will you please make America an English colony again. May I move to Britain?

John, Detroit Michigan,

Graham Priest, bristol. I'm not saying that most of these people shouldn't take reponsibility for their actions?! I am simply pointing out that many with ASBO's have these problems - spend a day at a magistrates to verify this. I was simply stating that in many cases this scheme won't be effective

JB, London,

So now we know that Gordon Brown reads the Daily Mail when sitting on the loo. Can we put the lock on the outside and leave him in there.

Andrew Wakeling, London, uk

"Work is the only dignity"
If it wasn't so easy to sit on your backside all day and still somehow have food on the table then a simple sense of "needs must" would lead these people to get some kind of work, from which they would gather some sense of their worth in a legal manner.

Ray, Swindon, UK

Too little too late, another Labour PR stunt. The fundamental problem is these gormless, ignorant youths having absolutely no capacity for understanding or caring about their actions. This is a HUGE social problem: an entire generation has formed that has no respect for society, law, morals etc.

Craig, Hereford,

Very good point made by J D S.

Reward those kids who do NOT get into or create trouble with FREE access to out of school activities. Every council run scheme seems to cost children or their parents lots of money to take part.

Dave Kinsley, derby, uk

This is sadly typical of this government. It has nothing left to offer anyone so its ridiculous Home Secretary is left to spout a load of cheap easy sound bites about crime. What a sad sad joke.

Mikko Takala, Drumnadrochit, Scotland

Public flogging on pay per view TV with all proceeds going towards repaying their victims or fixing vandalism.
A deterent stronger than being filmed, and a way to compensate all the inncocent people caught up in their 'fun'.
Liberty seem to put the rights of thugs over decent, human beings....

Sarah, London, England

Haha, this is rediculous. When will the public open their eyes. The police are no longer a public protection system but a tool for the government. They are more interested in meeting targets than actually serving the community in which they patrol. Our free will is rapidly evaporating.

Andrew, Nottingham, UK

Send them to the Army? Have you actually met anyone under the age of 25 who's in the forces? Most of them are no different from these idiots, they have little education or job prospects and so decide to fight "for their country". When they return home they do so with a chip on their shoulder.

Dan, Cardiff, Wales

I am fedup with "Liberty"! Yobs such as these need to learn rules so that they can live in a community. If a heavy handed approach is what is needed then so be it. I wonder whether members of such an organisation if they are the victims of antisocial behaviour are so quick to take the official line!

Mike Thomas, London,

ASBOs were a joke and so is this hair brain scheme! Too little too late. The government are pathetic pussies. Bring back canings!! What about the human rights of innocent victims of these anti social yob scum? Criminals in this country have more rights than good, decent citizens! It is ridiculous!

Babis, London, UK

Michael, Bedford

Liberty have protested because the plans give the state the power to harass, photograph and video members of the public. This would include you and your children. Are you really happy to be agressively followed by the police?

It's not just the "animals" that it applies to.

Simon, London,

JB of London. Drink & drugs are self-inflicted, unemployment is a consequence of choices made, and isn't a symptom, and being mentally ill doesn't make you criminally inclined. If you make excuses to describe yobs as social 'victims', you'll fail. Oh - you're a probation worker. You've failed.

Grahame Priest, Bristol, UK

DCI Gene Hunt would come up with some imagenitive ideas...

I believe the goverment/police have left the problem go on for far too long for there to be an easy solution. They needed to do something slightly more physical about 6 years ago.

tim, abingdon,

Remember the village stocks? And the cat-o'-nine tails? A hefty dose of humiliation followed by a larding for repeat offenders would work wonders.

Mike, Macau, China

How long before the police have to pay out under human rights???

John, Guildford, UK

Police presence on the streets or in traffic policing is already virtually non-existent, so where are the officers required by this sort of resource-intensive policing going to come from? What other functions will be neglected??

Ben Garside, Loughborough, UK

Anything Liberty doesn't like can't be all bad.

ben foster, penley,

How many weeks will it take for a bright spark to complain about human rights violations,the police will be told to back off and the scheme scrapped.
Why not try stopping job seekers allowance or similar, sounds extreme but maybe job hunting would focus their talents in a different direction

Simon Cross, Coulsdon,

Interesting proposal - I think it could work but it's obviously going to require a huge amount of police manpower and time.

As someone else has said, more thinking may also be required for long-term solutions.

Ed W, London,

Isn't this measure effectively bringing about self-incrimination, something that the British judicial system has not usually recognised as evidence? And what will happen to people's privacy? Everyone is entitled to a private life under the Human Rights Act, but apparently the government ignores this

Nick Burns, Nottingham,

There is no hope for law, order and respect until National Service is reintroduced. Does Cameron have the courage?

Mark Morgan, Wellingborough,

More spin, and another promise to be broken.

Gareth Jones, Dusseldorf, Germany

Liberty, the civil rights group protested. Now isn't this typical. We need to stop talking about the "rights" of these yobs. They are living out of the rules of society and therefore have by default given up on their rights. Welcome any "heavy handed" tactics on these animals.

Michael, Bedford,

Go with the scheme they used in the states, 3 strikes and you're out. 3 arrestable offences in a set period of time and you go away for a long time, no appeals.

Darren, Norwich, UK

Sounds good but we all know it will be quietly dropped once the human rights brigade complain about it infinging human rights and give the police yet more paper work to fill in.

Luke, London, UK

And how long before said yobs start bleating that their human rights have been abused by the police having the temerity to do their job . Obviously of course, the victims of their anti social behaviour don't have any human rights...

Jay, London,

Make them sign an acceptable behaviour contract? That'll scare them. Most of them haven't the education to read, let alone understand, what they are signing despite probably having 10 A grade GCSE's and being part of what Gordon Brown claims are the best educated children the country has ever seen.

Edward, London,

No short term plan will work.

It is not the yobs or the high achievers that need extra attention, but the middle of the road kids.

If they are encouraged and rewarded the yobs will become a decreasing minority as the centre expands to absorb the yob minority.

Carrot AND stick.

J D S, Cardiff, UK

Make the buggers WORK for a start, take away ALL benefit,
and if that does'nt work put them in boot camps.
This behaviour CAN be stopped if there is a will.

mike rigby, blackburn,

Dirty Dick what has the army done to derserve being sent this bunch of wasters! Do they not have enough problems keeping alive highly motivated professional soldiers with crap kit without some lazy layabout yob putting them in danger Borstal is the only option hard labour, strict rules ie punishment

Rob, Northampton, UK

army or bootcamp for repeat offenders is a very sound idea. the states uses it to deal with their troubled youth and they simply do not have the yob culture that britain has in the slightest. parents should also get their benefits cut if their child is a repeat offender to promote real parenting

alex, London, England

What a surprise, Liberty yet again go against what we need, do they actually stand for anything? or just disagree with everyone? We should do everything in our power to deter criminals. I for one would be happy in a council tax increase to pay for 10 local bobbies who do this each and every day.

Martyn, Hucknall, Notitnghamshire

Eventually the police will be given a chance to get right in the faces on these menances who need following and made to feel prisoners just like they make thousands of innocent people in estates across the country.

Adam, Stirling, Scotland

Another Panic decision. I am looking forward to Civil Liberties groups taking this to the EU Human Rights court; predicting the result: Govt will get its nosed rubbed in IT again - Constitreaty you know.
Properly handled it could be a good idea. Punishment meets the crime. But this Govt? Joke!

M. Cawdery, Portadown, Co. UK, EU.

If they are well known to the police and have criminal records why aren't they in prison? oh, right - they've all been released early! Pathetic. And what is to stop the police photographing and harassing the law abiding? because they will, sooner or later.

SD, London,

What isn't clear from this story is what happened after the 4 days of being followed by the paparazi police? did the kids go back to their old ways?

Ruth, Redhill,

Great use of police time! Just let the police give them a clip round the ear! It worked for years before the PC Brigade ruined the country.

Dean, Southampton, England

It will envitably be law abidiing citizens that are routinely videoed/photographed in an intimidating, provocative manner by police. A much wider net, with such all encompassing termonology as 'yobs', am I a 'yob' for questioning the police's right to target me & film at close proximity?

A Jones, UK, UK

Liberty, the civil rights group are a bunch of do-good fools driven by political correctness and do not live in the real world. They are a menus.

D Case, Newquay,

I am a Probation Officer and currently work with alot of these people. While many are anti-social in the extreme, they are also quite often mentally ill, have drug or drink problems and or no employment. I hope that some thought will also be given to long term, as well as these short term solutions.

JB, London,

250,000 for Action Squads, spend breakdown:
------------
120,000 spend for 20 days consultancy work to research how best to form an action squad, deploy and utilise the action squad.

30,000 new vehicle for action squad

100,000 3 Action Squad salaries for one year

Steve, London,

Wow. A pilot run of police tactics... being pretty much the same as old fashioned policing from before the "hug the hoodie" days. And it works too! Amazing thing, that.

What's next? Discovery that actually punishing a yob removes danger from the street? Now wouldn't that be a discovery!

Piotr Smolanski, London, England

If these reputedly persistent offenders are filmed etc, etc, and in turn taken to court for offences, will it be a ticking-off or what?. If our young men want to behave like rampaging yobs why don"t they enlist for military service and let our fine Army turn them into decent citizens?

Dirty Dick, Taunton, UK

What actually happened during the operation in Basildon, was that more police officers were deployed on the streets. The "Harrassment" part of the operation was only needed to alert the offenders to this unusual situation. Why would anyone be suprised that this cuts down crime figures?

ST, Essex,

This Smith woman is totally out of her depth, again proving it by her latest proposal to address yob culture. Boot camps for the yobs, which would include hard, useful labour for the community, and penalising parents seems to me to be the most cost-effective route to solving yob culture.

Maxadolf, Epsom, UK

Closing-the door-after-the-horse-has-bolted measures are typical of weak politics and only fool some. What is needed is re-writing of what education should be about and therefore starting from the ground up.

Michael Martin-Morgan, Rosal, Spain

"The police will issue repeated warnings about their behaviour."

Isn't this the problem. The police can issue warnings all day and nigh, but the yobs' know this is all the police can do.

Another silly announcement for announcements sake by a silly government hell bent on announcing.

Tony Humphreys, Prestatyn, UK

Where are Police man hours going to come from for this when there's too much paperwork already? How is caging the wild animus going to calm them down? What about people who really don't care & go after Police or indeed residents with weapons? More knee-jerk localised pilot schemes from weak leaders!

Alistair Kipling, Birmingham,

I would not want to be critical of any measures to combat anti social behaviour but £250k and a few snaps hardly seems like the rout of the louts that is badly overdue. Of course the real problem to be solved is what is in these kids heads, and I'm afraid it is our society that has put it there.

Kevin, Leeds,