ANTI-social behaviour orders do not have a long-term effect on persistent offenders, Devizes police inspector Pete Bowerbank told town councillors last week.

Mr Bowerbank, who is station officer in New Park Street, said persistent offenders could be locked up for breaking the orders but when they got out, their behaviour was no better.

Devizes was the first town in Wiltshire to have the orders, known as Asbos, imposed on its citizens. The orders prohibit offenders from specific acts and any breach is a criminal offence.

In his monthly address to the town council, Mr Bowerbank said: "Of the four Asbos in place, the juvenile offender has moved away, but two adults continue to breach their orders. It is very quiet while they are off the street, but the orders do not resolve the long-term issue.

"We need to have the Probation Service more closely involved to help us break this vicious cycle."

Mr Bowerbank said that crime in the area between April and August this year had risen by five per cent over the level reported last year at the same time. He added: "Last year was particularly low so that, although this year's figures are higher, they are still lower than those of the year before last.

"Also, we now record more crime. We have been proud to pilot a new computer-based system of reporting. This means that minor crimes that in the past would have been dismissed and not gone into the figures, now have to be meticulously recorded as crimes."

He said that violent crime had risen by ten per cent, or ten crimes. Most of these were domestic violence, either between husbands and wives or other family members.

On Friday and Saturday nights the CCTV van had been used in likely hot spots and additional foot patrols had been in the town centre.

He was pleased to report that, since town off-licences had imposed a ban on sales of alcohol to people under 21 on Friday and Saturday evenings, the problems of under-age drinking on the Green had virtually disappeared. Tesco and Sainsbury's had now adopted an under 21 ban as national policy.

The story was not so happy on vehicle crime, which had risen by 37 per cent over last year, an extra 21 incidents. Criminal damage had increased markedly since the end of August, with cars and shop windows being particularly targeted.

He said: "We don't know what prompts such action. It is happening all over the Devizes sector, not just in the town centre, and we are studying the figures to see if there is any reason for these sudden peaks and troughs."

Drugs crime had fallen by 40 per cent over the last two years, mainly as a result of a police operation against dealers. Mr Bowerbank said: "Many of the local dealers were locked up but they are gradually being released. They will be told they are being watched."

As part of a Government move against anti-social behaviour, Kennet was asked to identify 15 of its most prolific offenders. Ten came from Devizes, three from Marlborough and two from Tidworth. Mr Bowerbank said: "We were already ahead of the game. Most of the ten were locked up."

But he said that, without a programme of rehabilitation, persistent offenders would continue to offend.

Finally, he mentioned the problem of scooter riders in the Market Place. The riders had been warned that, unless they curbed their anti-social behaviour, their scooters would be seized.