Written question asked by James Brokenshire (Conservative) on Monday, 28 April 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 April 2008. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 May 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Antisocial Behaviour: Crime Prevention

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on the Respect Squad since its launch; how many people are employed in the Respect Squad; on how many occasions members of the Respect Squad have made practitioner interventions to provide advice on combating anti-social behaviour; and what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Respect Squad.

Answer: The Respect Squad was launched in the summer of 2006 and established by the then Respect Task Force. Between the summer of 2006 and the end of 2007 the expenditure on the squad, which comprised of existing expert practitioners, was £10,000 to cover their expenses. The Respect squad comprised of 10 people, made up of national recognised practitioners who provided advice and assistance for local partners in relation to complex cases of antisocial behaviour. The squad dealt with 53 cases in total since its launch in summer 2006.We considered the role of the squad to be very effective which is why the Home Office announced on 8 May a new ASB Action Squad who will help local partners make full use of the existing antisocial behaviour tools and powers.

Secondary information