Public could 'help tackle yobs'

The role of local police teams could be highlighted

People should "stop moaning" and help tackle anti-social behaviour in their own area, the government may suggest.

The Cabinet committee charged with the "respect" agenda has been briefed about the publicity plan by Home Secretary John Reid, the Sunday Telegraph said.

The Home Office said the initiative was an "idea among many" but did not confirm it would be introduced.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said the Home Office should not shift its responsibility onto the public.

According to the paper the campaign would be centred around the slogan: "Don't moan - take action - it's your street too".

'Key priority'

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Helping hard-working families to tackle anti-social behaviour in their area is a key priority for the 'respect' taskforce.

"We will continue to look at ways of making this happen".

A spokesman for Mr Reid said later that ministers were considering a number of ways of making people aware of how anti-social behaviour can be tackled.

He said there were a number of pieces of paper "knocking around government" on this whole area as ministers pushed ahead with the respect agenda.

The spokesman added that the government had already done a lot of work, including the establishment of neighbourhood policing teams.

Mr Reid took over at the Home Office in May and has pledged to "sort out" the department following a series of controversies stemming from a row over freed foreign prisoners not being deported.

Mr Davis said the home secretary was trying the "tired strategy of recycled gimmicks and initiatives as an attempt to distract attention".

He said: "What he needs to do is to put less effort into this bluster and more effort into focusing on the reasons that his government is failing to catch criminals to convict them, to lock them up and to keep them locked up.

"Until they get the basics right he would do better not lecture the public."