The only solution for nuisance neighbours is to change their behaviour

12.00.00am GMT Fri 18th Feb 2005

A Home Office study of 100 cases of bad anti-social behaviour showed 39% of the families involved had children who did not go to school regularly, if at all. Commenting on the Government's new measure to tackle nuisance neighbours, Ziz Kakoulakis, Liberal Democrat PPC for Enfield Southgate, said: "The solution for nuisance neighbours depends on changing behaviour, not just doling out punishment."

The review also showed:

• 67% of those targeted were families, half of them lone parents, the rest couples with children;

• In 38 per cent of the families, children were not attending school regularly or at all;

• 25% had been evicted from a previous address;

• Half of the cases involved threatening and intimidating behaviour;

• Cases had been dragging on for many years: the longest standing case had lasted for 18 years.

The problems were curtailed in 66% of the cases, according to follow-up studies.

The results of the study comes as think tank Civitas branded UK crime-fighting measures the least effective in Europe. Its report said ministers were failing to take the most basic measures to persuade offenders to change, such as getting them off drugs and providing basic qualifications. It suggested that falling crime rates were scant comfort as they were reduced from the artificially high peak seen in the 1990s.