Forget ring tones or the latest MP3 player, an ASBO in LA (Little Ampton) is an absolute must for certain groups of teenagers.
The benefits of having an ASBO;
1. Credibility among your criminal friends and family
2. Absolute anonymity in the press for the under 16s, but full sensational press coverage of every crime or nuisance carried out.
3. Regular “top ups” of the order when convicted of further crimes.
4. Reluctance to prosecute for “routine” crimes like threatening behaviour, shop-lifting, causing a disturbance, etc, as this results in just a “top up”. See point 3, above.
5. Free taxis late at night - simply throw a brick through a shop window, wait for police car to arrive, call the police officer a c**t. This should result in your arrest but as soon as you are recognised as an ASBO kid you will normally be taken straight home.
Disadvantages of the ASBO system;
1. You are less likely to get to go on one of those special holidays run by social workers, given away by the courts and probation service.
2. You might have to wait a long time for a police taxi to actually turn out to investigate your crime, so you may consider that the free taxi option is only worth waiting for if you are too drunk or stoned to walk home and it is VERY late and you have school in the morning. Also remember, the taxi is unlikely to stop at “dave the dealer” on the way home.
