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By SUNITA RAPPAI
 

Keep it safe: Back row (l-r) Mustafa Ahmed, Mujib Miah and Mukhtar Moalim. Front, (l-r) Jamal Miah, Joshim Ahmed and Mohamed Nur
Youth vote supports greater use of Asbos

Backing for bans as a way of instilling fear in teenagers

MORE anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos) should be dished out to troublemakers to keep them off the streets, according to a poll of young people.
Of more than 100 young people who took part in a debate at Queen’s Crescent Community Centre in Ashdown Crescent on Saturday, two out of three supported the use of Asbos.
Since 1999, Camden Council has issued 220 Asbos, of which 197 were for adults and 23 for under-18s. In Gospel Oak, one of the most deprived areas in the borough, 10 Asbos have been issued, of which five were to under-18s.
But many of the young people quizzed by the New Journal after the debate said Asbos should be extended to include alcoholics, racists and general troublemakers.
Mohammed Nur, 22, a trainee youth worker from Gilden Crescent, Gospel Oak, who helped organise the debate, said Asbos gave people a warning that there are consequences if they do something wrong. He added: “If they know there is a threat they might get into trouble, they won’t do it. I don’t think Asbos have gone far enough.”
Mustafa Ahmed, 21, from Parkhill Road, Belsize Park, said: “One way to discipline kids is to make them fear. And they need to fear the local authorities.” But Mukhtar Moalim, 18, from Grafton Terrace, Gospel Oak, warned: “It’s not solving the problem. It’s making them more angry and confused and just moving the problem into another area.”
Concern was voiced about the lack of opportunities for young people and the shortage of positive role models. Joshim Ahmen, 24, from Gilden Crescent, said: “Kids don’t have enough to do and they don’t have enough money. Often they don’t have a father figure in their life. A lot of people are forced into bad behaviour because it’s not cool to be good.”
Kobir Ahmed, vice-chairman of Kentish Town Community Organisation, which organised the debate, said: “A lot of people were in favour of Asbos but we also pointed out the arguments against. In many ways they are self-defeating because they become a badge of honour for the kids. Often they deal with the problem without looking at the cause.”
 
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