What Were Anti Social Behaviour Orders?
Anti Social Behaviour Orders, commonly known as ASBOs, were civil orders introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and came into effect in 1999. They were intended to tackle persistent behaviour that caused distress, harm or harassment to others in the community.
ASBOs were replaced by new measures under the Anti Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, though the provisions rolled out at different times across regions. Those currently dealing with anti social behaviour should be aware that different tools now apply, including Civil Injunctions and Criminal Behaviour Orders. Although ASBOs have been superseded, knowledge of their operation can provide insights into the evolution of anti social behaviour measures in England and Wales.
The orders were civil rather than criminal in nature. This meant that receiving an ASBO did not result in a criminal record on its own. However, breaching the conditions of an ASBO was a criminal offence and could lead to serious penalties, including imprisonment.

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ASBOs could be issued to anyone aged 10 or over. The use of these orders against young people attracted significant criticism from children's rights organisations and some legal professionals. Critics argued that labelling children with court orders could cause lasting harm and that the system sometimes failed to address the root causes of behaviour.
To obtain an ASBO, an application had to be made to a magistrates' court or county court. Applications were typically brought by local councils, the police, registered social landlords or housing action trusts. The applicant needed to show that the person had acted in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others not living in the same household.
The behaviour in question had to have occurred on more than one occasion. A single incident would not usually be enough to justify an order. The court also had to be satisfied that the order was necessary to protect people in the local area from further anti social acts.
Types of behaviour that could lead to an ASBO included:
- Vandalism and graffiti
- Persistent noise nuisance, such as playing loud music at unreasonable hours
- Verbal abuse, threats or intimidation
- Harassment through phone calls, text messages or online communication
- Street drinking and associated rowdy behaviour
- Drug dealing or drug use in public spaces
- Dropping litter persistently or fly tipping
- Behaviour causing distress to neighbours or local residents
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Conditions and Restrictions Under an ASBO
When a court granted an ASBO, it would include specific conditions tailored to the individual case. These restrictions were intended to prevent the person from repeating the behaviour that led to the order.
Common restrictions included being banned from entering certain areas, such as a particular street, estate or town centre. A person might also be prohibited from associating with named individuals, especially if the anti social behaviour had been carried out as part of a group.
Other conditions could include curfews requiring the person to stay indoors during specified hours, bans on using threatening or abusive language in public, and restrictions on consuming alcohol in public places. The conditions had to be proportionate and clearly worded so the person understood exactly what they were and were not allowed to do.
An ASBO typically lasted for a minimum of two years, though courts had flexibility based on circumstances, and some orders for minors had shorter durations. There was no maximum duration, and some orders were made indefinitely. The person subject to the order could apply to have it varied or discharged after the minimum period had passed, though success depended on their behaviour and circumstances.
Breaching an ASBO and Your Rights
Breaching any condition of an ASBO without reasonable excuse was a criminal offence. For adults, this carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison. For young people under 18, the maximum was a two year detention and training order.
Courts treated breaches seriously, and custodial sentences were not uncommon, particularly for repeated violations. This aspect of the ASBO system drew criticism because it meant civil proceedings could ultimately lead to criminal consequences and imprisonment.
If you were subject to an ASBO, you had the right to legal representation and could challenge the order or its conditions through the courts. Legal aid was available in some cases, depending on your financial circumstances, the nature of the proceedings and the eligibility criteria in force at the time.
Since ASBOs have been replaced, anyone currently facing action for anti social behaviour will be dealt with under the 2014 legislation. Civil Injunctions are purely civil orders and can be obtained without a criminal conviction. Criminal Behaviour Orders, by contrast, can only be issued following a criminal conviction and carry criminal penalties for breach. This represents a clearer separation between civil and criminal measures than existed under the ASBO regime.
For updated information on anti social behaviour powers and your rights, it is advisable to consult the GOV.UK website or seek advice from a legal specialist. Citizens Advice can also provide guidance on housing related anti social behaviour matters and help you understand your options if you are affected by or accused of such behaviour.
Couple years back because I regrettably had suicial thoughts back and went to a train track .I not sure how long it last for I have mental health and I have a coordinator he tells me I'm still on it but he throws it at me so I am scared of the police which now I am absolutely scared of the police full stop and I live in Lowestoft Suffolk .
We got a warning letter from the council and at first the housing officer seemed to be really understanding now we get a warning letter through the door I am terrified that we will get an asbo and that my son having serious mental health issues is going to be criminalized they frequently make threats constantly to us I am getting legal advice in order to get an injunction out on them to stop them harassing me . Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Will this affect me doing a mutual house exchange
I have lived within social housing for over 20 years without a problem. Can you offer me any advice??
8 months I was called in to see my housing officer and an anti social officer from my housing association where I am one of their tenants. This was about something I said to a neighbour which was in my mind really mild but inappropiate. Unfortunately, the comment was due to my state of mind at the time. As a result, i was given a verbal cautionary warning followed by a letter from the asbo officer confirmiing this with a reminder of what my tenancy agreement is. Now I am in the process of agreeing to a mutual exchange with another housing association tenant of a different Hhousing association landlord. Please, does anyone know if the new housing association can stop the mutual exchange going through due to my misdeed 8 months ago? I have never been in trouble with any landlord or other agencies before and I hope and pray it will be the one and only time in my life where I was called in to see my housing officer and asbo officer. I am also well in credit on my rent account so hopefully that may help in favour. Any light you can give me in this matter will be gratefully received. Thank you.
I have been givin an police and community protection warning so I cannot speak to a family working with children in need.they haven't lodged a complaint but springboard part of the police who they work with have issued me with this.ive tried to ask them why but they just don't give me a straight answer and that's coming from the inspector..
Any suggestions thanks you
My neighbour has health issues ie he is if you ask me mentally unstable, i'm appealing but any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.
This is when the nightmare started three years of hell .
she reported my daughter for hit and run , me to police for intimidating her and her family , to the council for anything she could think of stupid thing's like looking in her windows , blocking her on her drive , watching her boyfriend , listening to her conversations , all the above she was doing and reporting me for doing revers cycology then I had to defend myself I had cctv fitted and proved I was them not me causing trouble . it stopped for a while soon started police knoced my door said my daughter had intimidated her by laughing . knocked again said she had sounded her horn next door fely intimidated ? unbelievable I reported this the council told me she had been told to stop reporting nonsence she then had a meeting with the asbo telling him all about her boyfriends abuse and this changed everything . he fell for her stores and as refered to her as an attractive looking lady ?? .
three years down the line after trying everthing he provoked my son in law into an argument . it ended up with me having a asb warning on my house ? I asked why did I get the asbo the council told me we could see on cctv you didn't react but it was your son in laws fault you had asbo . disgusting
i have been issued with asbo on my house
It doesn't seem right from what you've told us but maybe there is more to it than you realise/know. Can you ask for more information? Throwing a snowball is not usually sufficient cause to issue an ASBO
CivilRightsMovement - 5-Feb-16 @ 2:19 PM
From what the police man that came to the door has told me, he had a phone call from some one ( who he refused) to mention who it was, that my son had thrown a snow ball that contained a stone at his dog which hit the dog on the head and caused damage to the dog that it warranted an emergency visit to the vets, while this man was not even at the so called "incident" he still claims this, while a local boy was the one that had told this man what had happen, and according to this boy my son threw one snow ball which contained a stone, that not only hit the boy on the head but managed to hit and damage a car, and then also hit the dog, then the owner of dog was stood outside our front door "drunk" threatening myself and my son with his dog , when i asked the man for proof the dog had needed emergency care, (which if my son had done what he was accused of i would happily pay for the bills) his reply was " you and your son will pay one way or another" ..now to the car, i have located the owner of the car and asked him about it and looked at the car, there is 0 damage to the car, and this is the first time he had heard of this incident, i have relayed all this back to the police with letters from the witnesses stating that my son did no such thing, but it seems to have been brushed off and the Anti-Social Behaviour Stage 1 still stands and as for the man standing outside our front door while drunk threatening not only me but my son the police simply said "we will talk to him" to me this just feels like they are targeting my son because of his age,
The ASBO was extended and she now has a criminal conviction because she spoke to a boy who was not in this family regarding the start of the school holidays. It was wrongly alleged that she had spoken to a child in her neighbours family. She wants to appeal but has already spent £25,000 contesting the ASBO extension. What grounds could she use for appeal?
i have an asbo and whilst i am not condoning my previous asbo, i am not a yob who has no consideration. i never targetted anyone and was never rude or violent to any member of my community. i had an extremely bad upbringing and was failed by appropriate services who were supposed to keep me safe as a child, i have behavioural problems and extreme mental health problems. whilst none of this is an excuse it does go a little into showing why i am the way i am. all i ever did was hang around with mates, the only times i ever shouted or fought or caused a problem was towards the police who DID discriminate against me because of my family. the problems wit asb were rife in my community and i was singled out and made an example of to satisfy the community. i am not excusing anything i have done, it was wrong and i know that and i have publicly apologised off my own back to everyone whom may have been affected. sometimes its not an issue of horribvle youths more of youths that do not understand the effects or repurcussions their behaviour has on a community and because they know no better, they l;earnmt the behaviour from somewhere and so society should be asking themselves where? sometime it is a case of bad communication between society and young people and the stigma all young people recieve even though it is not all young people that behave this way actually its a minority that do. that is why i set up a youth organisation and project targetting the most at risk of or those who were committing crime or asb. the course i set up at 17yrs old helped to get young people off the streets, back into education, keep them out of the criminal justice sytem, get them qualifications and help them to see the impact that their behaviour had on the community and to help them to communicate effectively with the community without anger or violence. most young people were shocked at their findings and extremely remorseful. anti social behaviour as a result dropped by 62% in the months of the course and those after. i have completed all my gcse's and a-levels and was then accepted into ujniversity to do a LAW degree, i missed it as i was again in hospital due to mental health problems where i stayed for 6months subsequantly i missed my slot and have deffered to start next year, i am now helping to run courses to get young people into education employment6 or trqaining ang volunteer a lot of my time, my offending behaviour has ceased
sorry for telling you my life story i am NOT looking for praise o sympathy or understanding at all. i just wanted you to know that every case is not always the same and sometimes people need help aswell and arent just horrible people but those with problems in need or help and crying oiut for it.
i FULLY understand that nthis is not the case for all young people and that some do cause a lot of distress and hurt and misery to innocent people fo
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