The number of people being banned from Manchester city centre is soaring - these are all the reasons why

The number of people being banned from Manchester city centre is soaring, the Manchester Evening News can reveal.

In the past three years, the number of Criminal Behaviour Orders excluding people from the policing boundary within the inner ring road has ballooned, from just two in 2016-17 to 23 granted last year.

The people subject to these orders risk jail if they're seen on Market Street, Deansgate, or any other city centre street.

In total, 42 Criminal Behaviour Orders have been passed in the last three years.

CBOs were introduced in 2014 to replace Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and can be imposed on anyone convicted of a criminal offence in a criminal court.

According to government guidance, they are aimed at tackling 'the most serious serious and persistent offenders.'

It means the person subject to the order commits a further offence if they fail to comply, without reasonable excuse, with the terms of the CBO.

They can be used to tackle a wide range of behaviour, from domestic violence to social media abuse.

Now the M.E.N can reveal Greater Manchester Police are increasingly making use of CBOs to keep repeat offenders - and serious criminals - out of Manchester city centre.

And below, the M.E.N. reveals every order made in the last three years, how long for and why.

Begging, drug dealing, robbery and rape

The applications were all made by Manchester city council in its capacity as the local authority.

In its response to a Freedom Of Information request, the council said it was unable to name the individuals as this falls under the category of 'third-party personal data'.

It is likely that several of those banned are also aged under 18.

However, we were able to obtain details of the offence for which the criminal was convicted, the length of time the CBO applies for, and if there are any other prohibitions in addition to the city centre ban.

For example, between 2016-17 two criminals were banned, each after being convicted of possession with intent to supply a class B drug, for three years and four years respectively.

In 2017-18, seventeen criminals were banned from Manchester city centre after convictions on a range of charges.

They include someone banned for from town for ten years after being convicted of theft from a person, and another banned for ten years after being convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence.

Another individual was banned for two years after being convicted of being drunk and disorderly, with conditions including 'not to be drunk in any public area in Greater Manchester' and 'not to consume alcohol or carry alcohol in an open container of any type in any public place in Greater Manchester, other than in a licensed premises.'

Four people were banned as a result of committing robbery offences, three of burglary and three of assaults.

Between September 2018-19, a further 23 Criminal Behaviour Orders were handed out by the courts banning people from Manchester city centre.

They include a burglar banned for 7 years and a beggar banned for two years.

The M.E.N understands this to be 40-year-old Amanda Carver, of Wellington Road in Whalley Range, who was handed the CBO in March.

Carver has been arrested a number of times for begging aggressively, especially around the Oxford Road area.

Police say she has a home and receives benefits but continues to beg.

Carver has since been jailed for twelve weeks for breaching the CBO.

In the last year, ten people have been banned from the city centre following robbery offences, three for theft, six for assault and one for rape.

The M.E.N understands one of those banned for assault is Nathan McLeod who is also a well-known beggar.

The 37-year-old appeared before magistrates last October on charges of assault, using threatening and abusive language and bail offences.

He was handed a community order and told to take part in a drug-rehab programme.

The order prevents McLeod, of Ivy Street in Moston, entering the city centre, although he has already been convicted of breaching it several times.

Criticism

The FOI response reveals police and council authorities have also had a number of requests for CBOs refused.

Of the fifty-seven applications made, fifteen were knocked by the courts in the past three years.

Seven of these were later granted but with reduced exclusion areas, while eight were rejected in their entirety, either because the court said the defendant was already sentenced to a long period in custody, or because the CBO was not deemed appropriate or necessary to protect the public.

The idea of imposing banning orders remains a controversial topic.

ASBOs were first introduced by the New Labour government in 1998 and proved to be hugely popular with local authorities.

Councils used them to tackle all sorts of complaints that didn't amount to criminal behaviour, such as a woman who was having sex too loudly or a man who wouldn't stop sniffing petrol.

To a certain degree, ASBOs became a figure of fun and shorthand for a general spirit of rebelliousness and misanthropy.

Badly-behaved teenagers began to see gaining one as a 'badge of honour'.

Criminal Behaviour Orders were brought in a bid to change that perception, with the most significant difference being that they can only be imposed following a criminal conviction.

But the rise in CBOs handed out in Manchester should be seen in the context of wider efforts by authorities to clean up the image of the city centre.

Earlier this year, the council launched a public consultation on plans to crackdown on anti-social behaviour in the city centre by bringing in a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).

It would mean offenders face £100 fines for a range of different behaviours including 'aggressive begging' and blocking doorways with tents.

The proposal drew fierce criticism from human rights campaigners and the Liberal Democrats.

The council's ruling Labour group is still assessing the results of the consultation but the M.E.N understands any reference to begging is likely to be scrapped.

Pat Karney, the council's city centre spokesperson, said he welcomed the increase in Criminal Behaviour Orders being handed out.

"I'm all for it," he said.

"I've been calling for this for ten years.

"People who let Manchester down when they cause huge problems in the city centre should be banned.

"As far as I know it is effective - the way I understand it, security staff have pictures of people who are banned because they are known shoplifters for example so they can deal with them.

"I'm quite sure they do come back into town, we don't run a police state.

"But we want to send the message out that if you do come into town and cause destructive behaviour, robbing people or assaulting people, then it's justified."

See the data about Criminal Behaviour Orders we obtained in full below:

Year 1: 1.9.16 to 31.8.17. 5 CBO applications and 2 granted

Offence	Length of CBO	Other prohibitions
Possession with Intent to supply a controlled drug (Class B)	4 year	NA
Possession with Intent to supply a controlled drug (Class B)	3 year	NA

Year 2: 1.9.17 to 31.8.18  - 20 CBO applications and 17 granted

Offence	Length of CBO	Other prohibitions
Battery	2 years	NA
Racially Aggravated Public Order	2 years	Not to cause harassment alarm or distress to any other person in Greater Manchester
Theft from person	2 years	-Not to cause harassment alarm or distress to any person in Greater Manchester  -Not to use abusive, insulting , language or behaviour towards any person in Greater Manchester
Common Assault	2 years	NA
Theft from person	10 Years	Not to cause harassment alarm or distress to any other person in Greater Manchester
Section 20 assault	5 years	NA
Racially Aggravated Public Order	10 years	NA
Burglary	2 years	NA
Robbery	16 months	NA
Robbery	18 months	NA
Burglary	3 years	Positive requirement to engage with alcohol and drug services
Racially Aggravated Public Order	3 Years	NA
Robbery	3 years	Non association with co accused
Robbery	3 years	Non association with co accused
Burglary	3 years	NA
Theft	3 years	NA
Drunk and Disorderly	2 years	Not to be drunk in any public area in Greater Manchester  Not to consume alcohol or carry alcohol in any open container of any type in any public place in Greater Manchester, other than in a licensed premises.

Year 3: 1.9.18 to 31.8.19  - 32 CBOs applications and 23 granted

Offence	Length of CBO	Other prohibitions
Robbery	2 years	Non association with co defendants
Robbery	2 years	Non association with co defendants
Robbery	2 years	Non association with co defendants
Burglary	7 years	NA
Assault by beating	2 year	Positive requirement to engage with drug and alcohol services
Robbery	2 year	Non association with co defendants
Theft Shoplifting	2 year	-Leave any commercial premises when asked to do so by any person employed at the commercial premises
Racially Aggravated Common Assault	2 year	-Not to Cause Harassment, alarm or distress to any person.  Not to use any abusive / racially aggravated language in any public place.
Breach of Community Protection Notice	2 year	Not to place yourself in a position to beg anywhere in Greater Manchester
Robbery	2 year	Non association with co defendants
Assault Causing Actual Grievous Bodily Harm	Until Further order	Exclusion from the Fort retail centre  Exclusion from the Rock bury retail centre  Positive requirement to engage with drug and alcohol services
Robbery	2 years	Non association with co defendants
Affray	1 year
Attempt Robbery	36 Months	Non association with co defendants
Robbery	18 Months	Non association with co defendants
Assault - Grievous bodily harm	3 Years	Non association with co defendants
Theft  shoplifting	2 years	-Leave any commercial premises when asked to do so by any person employed at the commercial premises -Not to be in possession of magnets that may be used to remove electronic tags from commercial goods.
Theft  shoplifting	2 years	-Leave any commercial premises when asked to do so by any person employed at the commercial premises -Not to be in possession of magnets that may be used to remove electronic tags from commercial goods.
Begging	2 years	Not to place yourself in a position to beg anywhere in Greater Manchester
Attempt Robbery	2 years	Non association with Co defendants
Robbery	3 years	Non association with Co defendants
Assault	2 years	NA
Rape	2 years	NA