Reid in row over 'moaning public'

JOHN Reid, the Home Secretary, came under fire yesterday after appearing to suggest that the public should "stop moaning" about yobs and nuisance neighbours and do something about the problem themselves.

Mr Reid, whose department has been involved in a string of scandals and political rows in recent months, is working with Tony Blair on ways to reinvigorate the Prime Minister's "Respect" agenda, intended to curb low-level crime and anti-social behaviour.

At a Downing Street Respect summit last week, the Home Secretary is said to have sketched out a new publicity campaign that would emphasise the role of the public - and the local communities in particular - in combating disruptive behaviour.

The summit heard from a number of grassroots activists who led their communities' response to loutish behaviour.

Following confirmation of plans to dock housing benefits from nuisance neighbours, Mr Reid is believed to be working on a list of new initiatives for anti-social behaviour, including parenting classes for families of the most disruptive children.

A "hit list" of 40 English local authority areas is also said to have been drawn up, where the new policies will be deployed first.

But it was one of the slogans being discussed for the new campaign - "Don't moan, take action, it's your street too" - that yesterday provoked criticism, with opposition parties saying it suggested Mr Reid was shifting responsibility for the problem away from the authorities.

Francis Maude, the Conservative party chairman, noted the Home Office's recent troubles over the deportation of foreign criminals and Mr Reid's own criticism of his department.

Mr Maude said: "I think people will get pretty fed up with John Reid effectively admitting he can't run the Home Office which is not, in his odd phrase, 'fit for purpose', for him to say, or seem to be saying, all these are problems caused by the public, and if only the public would whinge less and do more it would be all right."

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, also said the Home Office's troubles meant the possible new campaign slogan was unlikely to go down well with the electorate.

"The suggestion that people should do more for their own safety is frankly a bit rich, coming from a government that has let criminals walk freely on our streets," he said.

The Home Office yesterday refused to discuss the slogan, but a spokeswoman confirmed the concept of local people playing a greater role in Respect policies was part of the government's plans.

"Helping families tackle anti-social behaviour is a key priority for the Respect taskforce. We will continue to look at ways of making this happen," she said.

"The idea that we are asking neighbourhoods or local people to act on their own is complete nonsense. We want them to work in partnership with local police and their community."