GRAFFITI scrawled over walls, dumped shopping trolleys blighting estates and late-night abuse echoing through quiet cul-de-sacs.

Annoying, yes. Disruptive, undoubtedly. But not arrestable offences - at the moment.

Aware of growing disquiet among residents across the whole country, the Home Secretary David Blunkett has outlined a crackdown on low-level offences that have the potential to make people's lives a misery.

Proposals to make every offence arrestable could give police the powers to arrest litter-droppers and graffiti-sprayers or hand out fixed penalty fines. They could also see community support officers given far greater powers.

And his radical proposals have been given a rousing cheer of encouragement from Bournemouth councillors, who say they welcome any help they can get to fight antisocial behaviour and improve residents' quality of life.

Dorset Police's own figures show a dramatic rise in reported incidents of antisocial behaviour over the last three years.

In 2001/02 there were 11,439 incidents reported to police, in 2002/03 there were 11,918 and in the year 2003/04 it rose to 12,842.

Dorset Police spokesman Nick Cloke said the rise in the figures was probably due to more people reporting antisocial incidents following encouragement to do so by the police.

He said: "It is an issue across Bournemouth, Dorset and the whole UK. We have identified reducing antisocial behaviour as one of the five key strands of the police annual policy plan."

He confirmed that five community support officers have been appointed to help tackle anti-social behaviour in the Bournemouth town centre area and there are vacancies for six more.

Community support officers already operate successfully in Purbeck, he added.

Insp Neil MacBean said: "Anything that we can use to help us tackle antisocial behaviour has got to be good.

"Community support officers will be able to deal with such things as litter, drinking and other antisocial behaviour that affects people.

"In the past we haven't had the resources but with this and increased police numbers we will be in a position to deal with it."

He added that the new section 30 dispersal powers which allow police to ban troublemakers from returning to problem areas for 24 hours have also been very useful in tackling antisocial behaviour.

Mr Blunkett's announcement has startling echoes of a speech made by East Cliff and Springbourne councillor Anne Filer just a few weeks ago.

Cllr Filer, who was born and raised in the town, urged councillors to take a firm stand against all levels of crime and antisocial behaviour - from kids banging dustbin lids right through to the drunken disorder that makes the town centre a no-go area for many at night.

She said: "David Blunkett's announcement is exactly what I wanted - let's just hope he can provide the police officers and the local wardens to do it.

"We can't expect police to deal with dropped litter or graffiti but if community wardens had the power to issue fines for these offences, that would be great.

"They've adopted this zero-tolerance approach in New York and Singapore and it's raised the whole profile of these places.

"It sparks a feeling that people mustn't let the side down and slowly the whole place improves."

Throop and Muscliff Cllr Ron Whittaker spends a huge amount of time trying to sort out relatively low-level problems, such as gangs of youths congregating in residential areas late at night and drinking in children's playgrounds.

He said: "Ninety per cent of the work that I deal with is centred around antisocial behaviour in this town. Local residents feel threatened and intimidated by the attitude of younger people with their 'couldn't care less' approach to life."

Cllr Whittaker feels that some of the onus should be put back on to the parents, but if the problem is going to be addressed properly, he argues that the real answer is to see bobbies back on the beat.

Cllr Jean Moore, Bournemouth council's cabinet member with responsibility for developing communities and tackling crime, also welcomed the proposals.

"I don't disagree with the idea at all. I think that we have got to come down quite strongly on those who commit antisocial behaviour," she said.

First published: August 14