Respect tsar defends 'don't moan' policy

Respect tsar Louise Casey says 'don't moan' slogan is about not suffering in silence

Monday, 12, Jun 2006 12:00

The head of the government's 'respect' policy unit has defended a call by John Reid for people to 'stop moaning' and tackle anti-social behaviour themselves.

Louise Casey said the home secretary's call for a new publicity campaign urging the public, "Don't moan, take action – it's your street too" was simply a recognition that people should work with their police to tackle vandalism and low-level crime.

Mr Reid's comments to a cabinet meeting, recorded in documents seen by The Sunday Telegraph, provoked a storm of controversy, with the Conservatives accusing ministers of trying to shift responsibility for tackling crime on to the public.

"After six weeks of serial incompetence by the Home Office on everything from killers on probation to the escapes of serious criminals from open prisons, it is brazen beyond belief for the government to try to shift responsibility on to the shoulders of the public," said shadow home secretary David Davis.

"What the public want is for criminals to be caught, convicted, locked up, and kept locked up until they have severed their sentence.

"The government has failed with every single one of these aims, most obviously in the last six weeks. Offering a tired mixture of re-cycled initiatives and headline catching gimmicks will not solve the problem of violence and disorder in Britain today."

But this morning Ms Casey told BBC Breakfast that Mr Reid's idea had been to persuade people to stop people "suffering in silence" and contact the police when they saw anti-social behaviour taking place.

"What we are saying to the public is do not suffer in silence – call the police, or keep a diary. We are not saying go out there and tackle problems on your own – that would be madness," she said.

However, while she confirmed that the phrase 'don't moan' was part of last week's meeting, she insisted it was "one of a number of phrases used" as ministers discussed how to do more to tackle anti-social behavior.

"We definitely do not want the public to go out and deal with things themselves," Ms Casey added.

Last week's meeting, hosted by Tony Blair at Downing Street, included members of the public who had taken a stand on anti-social behaviour, and also council leaders, who were told that if they failed to take action they could see their Whitehall funding cut.

At the same time, the government announced new plans to cut housing benefit for 'nuisance neighbours' who refused to accept help to mend their ways.