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NO JOKE
‘Hippy crack’ laughing gas to be BANNED in major clampdown on ‘scourge’ of anti-social behaviour
HIPPY crack will be banned in a new antisocial behaviour crackdown - as cops return to “common sense” law and order.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman ordered police to focus on “keeping people safe, not politically correct distractions” as she unveiled a tough new ban on laughing gas blighting communities across the nation.
In a major crime blitz today, ministers will make possession of the dangerous gas a criminal offence in England and Wales and ramp up drug testing of rogue thugs terrorising the streets.
Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” will be banned, ending the plague of cannisters littering our parks and green spaces.
The drug is now the among 16 to 24 year olds in England - with cops indicating it leads to even more low-level crimes.
Writing for The Sun today, Ms Braverman promises a no-nonsense return to “good old fashioned” policing and to make Britain’s streets safe again by focusing on crime that matters, not woke nonsense.
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She vowed: “There is no such thing as petty crime. This government realises that.
“Sun readers will agree that everyone deserves to feel pride in their local community.
“We will act – because the law-abiding majority must be liberated from the selfish, anti-social minority.
“Antisocial behaviour causes misery to local communities and makes these neighbourhoods extremely unpleasant places to live.
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“The British public are sick and tired of it.”
Ministers will reveal plans today to:
- HIKE on the spot fines for fly-tipping and graffiti from £400 to £1,000, with councils forced to publish league tables.
- FORCE louts to clear up their own mess within 48 hours of offending - wearing hi-vis jackets, and give victims a say in punishments.
- OUTLAW organised begging to stamp out gangs luring in vulnerable rough sleepers - and reform old begging laws.
- GIVE landlords powers to kick out drunk and disorderly or noisy neighbours, and councils help to control empty buildings more quickly.
Sixteen pilot areas will see extra cash to put more cops and patrols on the beat in the worst hotspots for trouble - with hopes to roll them out nationwide from next year.
Police will be able to expand on-the-spot drugs testing to ecstasy and methamphetamine, and any crimes involving violence against women and girls or antisocial behaviour.
A new reporting tool will also allow the public to easily report incidents in their local areas - and signpost to extra help.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Anti-social behaviour undermines the basic right of people to feel safe in the place they call home.
“The public have rightly had enough – which is why I am determined to restore people’s confidence that those responsible will be quickly and visibly punished.” Last night, Leveling Up Secretary Michael Gove told Times Radio he stood by promises to make vandals wear embarrassing jumpsuits, adding: “if you cross the line, there will be immediate justice”.
He also hit out at certain police forces, saying police must step up and prioritise proper crime.
Mr Gove admitted: “We all know that there have been occasions where the police, or some forces, have been more anxious to virtue signal than to punish vice”.
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He added: “There have been some police forces that have not prioritised the fighting of the crimes that can concern the public most, they have diverted resources into other areas.
“Chief constables need to look to the citizens that we serve.”
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