Anyone questioning the wisdom of putting the fight against anti-social behaviour at the top of the public agenda should reflect on the horrific deaths of a couple in Manchester earlier this week.

Alex and Maureen Cochrane died in their beds after their home was set alight by arsonists - their teenage daughter Lucy is critically ill in hospital.

For 18 months Lucy has been targeted by bullies. Last week the family dog had to scare off thugs as they poured petrol on the family's front doorstep.

Police have now apologised for not intervening more effectively in the past and an inquiry is underway, but that is of little comfort to the grieving relatives left behind.

Anti-social behaviour is like a virus. If you do not act it will spread and become more serious.

In Britain we have ignored the problem for years and it is in danger of reaching epidemic proportions.

I would love to be able to focus on other matters but the reality is that preventing crime and anti-social behaviour underpins everything within our society. It is the topic that people raise with me most often.

Living in fear destroys your quality of life, the only way to reduce that fear is for the police, in partnership with other agencies, to make tackling anti-social behaviour a top priority.

That's why I get frustrated when I hear Home Office minister Hazel Blears suggest that things are improving. No, they aren't.

I raise an eyebrow when Home Secretary Charles Clarke talks about "swift" action when the Government has already had eight years.

As an independent elected mayor I have no political affiliations. If I can encourage media debate of this issue by sharing a platform with David Cameron, the leader of the Opposition, as I did this week, then I will.

The latest Government initiative to fight anti-social behaviour is the Respect Agenda but, in the 760-word summary on the Home Office website, the word 'police' does not appear once.

I support the Respect Agenda but I want to see some teeth to prove that reducing anti-social behaviour really is a priority.

The Government uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to judge how police forces are performing. It's similar to the system used to judge hospitals, schools and councils.

Indicators have tremendous influence on how police resources are deployed and the Government has used them in the past to ensure their priorities are at forefront of a chief constable's mind. Despite what some may think, chief constables aren't stupid. They know that by targeting KPI areas they will end up with a higher score come inspection time.

So if the Government is serious about bringing respect to the streets it should introduce a new KPI focussing on anti-social behaviour.

Yobs and thugs will continue with their behaviour until they are confronted and dealt with. If police officers fail to do this then the number of complaints will rise - that's why a KPI would be effective.

Anti-social behaviour should concern us all - members of the public, parents, teachers, politicians and business - and we all have a role to play.

But police forces are the major body charged with maintaining law and order on the streets and that's why the Government must place them at the centre of efforts to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Published: 20/01/2006