Rishi vows to tackle hippy crack ‘scourge’ as he wages £160m war on yobs with £1k fines for graffiti and fly tipping

RISHI Sunak vows to tackle the “scourge” of drugs as he announced a ban on hippy crack and tougher fines for fly-tippers and graffiti yobs.

The PM promised “hotspot policing” and “immediate justice”, as he stressed the need for a “zero-tolerance” approach to anti-social behaviour in a tough crackdown.

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Announcing the plans on a visit to Essex this morning, he said: “This is not OK.

“It is not the type of country that we are and that is why it is important we do something about it.”

Taking a question from a member of the public during Q&A in Essex, he said: “It should be easy for you to say this is what I’ve seen, this is what’s going on and then have the local authorities and the police report back on what they’ve done about it so that you feel that your concerns are being listened to.”

Ministers will reveal plans today to:

• HIKE on the spot fines for fly-tipping and graffiti from £400 to £1,000, with councils forced to publish league tables.
• FORCE louts to clear up their own mess within 48 hours of offending – wearing hi-vis jackets, and give victims a say in punishments.
• OUTLAW organised begging to stamp out gangs luring in vulnerable rough sleepers – and reform old begging laws.
• GIVE landlords powers to kick out drunk and disorderly or noisy neighbours, and councils help to control empty buildings more quickly.

Ministers will return to a “common sense” law and order approach, the Home Secretary wrote in today’s Sun.

Suella Braverman ordered police to focus on “keeping people safe, not politically correct distractions” as she unveiled a tough new ban on laughing gas blighting communities across the nation.

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In a major crime blitz today, ministers will make possession of the dangerous gas a criminal offence in England and Wales and ramp up drug testing of rogue thugs terrorising the streets.

Nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” will be banned, ending the plague of cannisters littering our parks and green spaces.

The drug is now the third-most used among 16 to 24 year olds in England – with cops indicating it leads to even more low-level crimes.

Writing for The Sun today, Ms Braverman promises a no-nonsense return to “good old fashioned” policing and to make Britain’s streets safe again by focusing on crime that matters, not woke nonsense.

She vowed: “There is no such thing as petty crime. This government realises that.

“Sun readers will agree that everyone deserves to feel pride in their local community.

“We will act – because the law-abiding majority must be liberated from the selfish, anti-social minority.

“Antisocial behaviour causes misery to local communities and makes these neighbourhoods extremely unpleasant places to live.