ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR: Government accuses charities of scaremongering over bill

Louise Casey, the former deputy director of Shelter who took on her current role in January, told YPN: "I'm disappointed with the charities that complain about the bill because they have got it wrong (YPN, 14-21 October, p7). They are just scaremongering."

Casey added: "The bill goes along with the thinking outlined in the green paper. We are putting a tremendous amount of money into getting young people into youth clubs, training and education and now we want to make safer communities."

The Children's Society, which has been one of the loudest protestors against the proposals, came in for criticism from Home Secretary David Blunkett at the launch of the antisocial behaviour action plan last Tuesday. "Young people are victims if we don't intervene because they'll be in and out of prisons," he said.