By Hamish Mackay
The Evening Express in Aberdeen has slammed local politicians for
refusing to allow the “naming and shaming” of troublemakers who are
given anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos).
The newspaper has gone on the attack after Aberdeen City Council
leader Kate Dean and her Lib Dem colleague councillor Martin Greig
claimed that publishing culprits’ identities would only stigmatise them
and drive them into worse behaviour.
The councillors said the authority would only consider naming and shaming offenders who persistently breached an Asbo.
The
Evening Express gave the issue dramatic front-page treatment and a
two-page inside spread after Councillor Dean returned from a
fact-finding trip to Manchester City Council, which currently has 480
people subject to Asbos and a policy of naming them all.
The
Evening Express backs Manchester’s policy and claimed: “We deserve to
know just who is so out of control that they have to be told to behave
– or else.
“If they want us to join the fight against crime, it would help if Aberdeen City Council told us who needs watching.”
The
paper argued: “The prospect of being publicly shamed will deter people
from acting in an anti-social way. The public should be protected by
the city council – not louts and thugs.”
But Councillor Greig,
chairman of the Aberdeen Community Safety Partnership, is refusing to
back down, and claimed: “Further publicity of names and addresses
would, we believe, not be of benefit and would undermine the
effectiveness of Asbos.”
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
