Changes in outlook towards Asbo and alcohol.

By Meghna Mukerjee

Home Secretary Theresa May has said that 'it's time to move beyond The Asbo'.

Launching a review of the system, the home secretary has said that there will be no more 'tolerating' bad behaviour.

Asbo - the "anti-social behaviour order" - was launched by the Labour Party to keep anti-social behaviour under control. However, government figures show that more than half of Asbo in England and Wales were breached from 2000 to 2008.

The new system imposes restrictions such as banning people from a local area or preventing them from swearing in public. If an Asbo is breached, offenders can face jail.

Ms. May said that the punishments should be "rehabilitative and restorative", rather than "criminalising". She also wanted a review of the powers.


Speaking in London, Ms. May told the BBC, "We need to make anti-social behaviour what it once was - abnormal and something to stand up to... rather than frequent and tolerated. It might sometimes feel like an unwinnable battle but it's not."

It will be up to the ministers in Scotland and Northern Ireland to decide what they want to do with Asbos, due to the devolved governments. Ms May's comments and decision come after the government announced plans to overhaul alcohol licensing laws, with her describing alcohol misuse as a major reason for violence.
Measures include making it easier for communities to influence licensing decisions in England and Wales, with retailers selling alcohol to children receiving tougher penalties. Other plans being considered are allowing local authorities to impose a late-night levy on bars and clubs to pay the costs of policing, taxis and street cleanliness, and a ban on alcohol sales below cost price.

Alcohol can 'ease' arthritis
On the other hand, the possible upside of alcohol consumption has also come into focus as scientists at the University of Sheffield have revealed that it can ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

The research suggests that drinking alcohol can not only reduce the symptoms, it can decrease the disease severity too.

Two groups of patients with and without the disease were told to give details of their drinking habits. The patients in the study did not drink more than the recommended limit of 10 units of alcohol a week. The patients who had consumed alcohol most frequently were found to experience less joint pain and swelling.

Previous studies have shown that alcohol may reduce the risk of even developing the disease. In the current research, non-drinkers were four times more likely to develop RA than people who drank alcohol on more than 10 days a month.

However, the authorities at the Arthritis Research UK have advised that this research should not encourage people or give them reason to start drinking alcohol frequently.