Specialist antisocial courts to roll out

In its five-year strategic plan, the Home Office said the courts would cover "all the places where they are needed" by December this year.

There are 12 expert prosecutors who work with police forces in the 10 pilot areas with the most serious antisocial behaviour problems.

The Department for Constitutional Affairs will identify where the courts are most needed. A spokesman for the department said: "The overall plan is to get all the different agencies working together and crack down on antisocial behaviour."

Antisocial behaviour courts are designed to be an efficient way of dealing with nuisance crimes, such as graffiti and vandalism. Court staff are taught what powers they can use to tackle the problem, and extra effort is made to protect witnesses that come forward.