Resources: Talking point - Is public disorder rife in town centres?

Town centres are turning into night-time "no-go areas", says Edward Leigh, Conservative MP and chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee. He says no country should have to put up with people behaving like "an occupying army loose in the streets". Does that description match young people's experiences?

Are young people afraid of being in town at night? Talk about other places they feel scared. What would make them feel safer? Discuss whether they themselves might ever alarm or harass other people.

Leigh described antisocial behaviour after dark as ranging from "drunken skylarking and intimidation to out-and-out criminal activity". Talk about how serious this is. Do young people think that the authorities should be more relaxed about drunkenness? Or should it be banned? The Commons committee estimates the cost of dealing with street disorder in England and Wales at 3.4bn a year. The press blame "drunken yobs". Is it mostly young or older people who are responsible for antisocial behaviour in towns?