Conservative MP Neil O’Brien has proposed a series of policies to create a “civilised, orderly society” in Britain. O’Brien, a former government minister and head of the Policy Exchange think tank, criticised politicians on both the left and right for prioritising other issues and failing to make the country more orderly. He called for an end to e-bikes and scooters on pavements, instant fines for public transport passengers playing music, a crackdown on spitting, and the planting of trees on residential streets. He also criticised street graffiti and proposed councils should handle the dumping of fridges, mattresses, and broken cars to help reduce litter.
According to O’Brien, creating a “pleasant, civilised nice place to live” was an end in itself as there was good evidence that disorderly societies lead to serious crime. He also acknowledged that many of his proposals would require substantial investment in public services. Crime science lecturer Matt Ashby of University College London suggested that the most effective means of tackling anti-social behaviour was to catch offenders in the act, but politicians usually preferred the cheaper option of higher severity punishments rather than spending on more police officers.
The Broken Windows Theory, which argues that low-level disorder can fuel more serious crime, underpins O’Brien’s proposals. Academics James Wilson and George Kelling advocated that police should tackle minor crime, such as window-breaking, in an effort to prevent more serious offences. However, critics have suggested that strict policies damage community relations with police.
Earlier this year, the Conservative government pledged £66m to support police forces in England and Wales to tackle violence and disorder. Labour has promised to introduce “respect orders” to ban persistent anti-social offenders from town centres and to recruit an additional 13,000 police officers
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