AS New Labour announced a raft of new measures to counteract anti-social behaviour, we asked you to submit a question on the subject of louts for Prime Minister Tony Blair. The writer of the best question will be invited to visit 10 Downing Street to quiz the PM personally. Meanwhile, a selection of your queries appears below.

I HAVE lived in Manchester all of my life, and have noticed big changes in the people and their behaviour. Crime and anti-social behaviour are worse. My wife wants to move out, and I think that's sad because I don’t think we should have to move home because of anti-social behaviour. We live in a society that does not implement strong, tough laws. We hear all the time that some stupid gang of youths go to court, only to come out laughing and sneering at those who sent them to court. We hope that they would be taught a lesson, but no! They are given a very light sentence, and then cause more grief with good people, whose lives can be so affected by these tormenting thugs. Crime will always be here, but human rights and excuses just seem to help the thugs of our society. How often do we hear excuses like: "He came from a deprived home," etc? Come on, wake up Mr Blair! The answer is maybe not to lock them up, but get them into work so they don’t have time to wreck people's lives. Get them into school, instead of on the streets. Lets demand a re-think of the laws in this country, because no, they are not working. People are not happy anymore, because we keep hearing “Tougher laws will come in " - but they have not. Make these people stop now, it's so easy, no second chance, no getting away with it anymore. Impose sentencing that will stop others. Do that and you will get my vote on your next Election, and no I am not a pensioner, I am a young person, so come on Tony, you got our vote, cut the red tape and get the laws sorted, and forget all the silly excuses, social workers, do gooders. Why not give us new laws - as well as the power behind them? P. Holt ,Wythenshawe

Although your attempts to curb anti-social behaviour are commendable, I feel this is only going to go a small way to solving this national problem - and in a lot of ways both you and previous governments have missed the point somewhat! So to that end, I would ask you what your oppinions are on "The discipline and training of our children and teaching them to be good adults first and accademics second"? Tony Stokes, Denton.

After decades of totalitarian legislation which has completely failed society as a whole and has caused much resentment, do you not think that it is time for a change of direction? Do you not think that 'asking' instead of 'telling', while being more willing to accept 'no' for an answer, would earn you far greater respect? Jake Long, Manchester.

Last week Mr Blair announced that he was cutting all funding for Community Support Officers. These people have played a vital role in vunerable communities in tackling antisocial behaviour. CSOs provide a visible presence where the police play an increasingly desk based role thanks to Blair's war on terror. Now Manchester is to lose it's street Crime Warden service thanks to a vote by it's Labour members. Respect? It's just a smoke screen for what is really a reduction in community policing. Do you, Mr Blair, really think actions like this will help things to get better? Manchester City Council Employee, Manchester.

Mr Blair, when the families are evicted from their homes where will they go, to another area to terroise people or still roam around in packs looking for the next victim? Law and order is a joke - you haven't acheived anything, you need to look at sentencing. What are you going to do about hoodies? Chris Bushell, Manchester.

To suggest that families should be thrown out of their homes and on to the streets for three months, for persistent misbehaving, is perhaps one of the most ludicrous things I have ever heard but it is increasingly typical of New Labour's desperation on this issue. One of the main problems is that there is now simply no deterrent that will make the idiots think twice about committing crimes. What is wrong with building enough new prisons so scum can automatically be locked-up when they repeatedly break the law, preferably without having to release another yob early to free a prison bed? Philip Cod, Daveyhulme

I've read the Blair-blurb about respect and the stamping down on anti-social behaviour, but what is actually going to happen? If past performance is anything to go by the answer is -spend a lot on publicity actually ignore the problem. I have a business in Bolton which is being blighted by fly-tipping by local residents from council owned property. The envirionment department and the council housing management company have been aware of the problem for the past six months but both say there is little they can do - it's our problem. Just another expense a small business has to pay for. The council has an anti-social behaviour officer but he does not operate in our area due to lack of funding. What is Mr. Blair going to do to help us? The only answer we can see is to detach ourselves from the problems of petty crime/vandalism/anti social behaviour and move. P. Shaw, Manchester.

I would like to ask Tony Blair just how he proposes to actually collect the on-the-spot fines of £100 from the yobs who commit anti-social acts? Will they be frog marched to the nearest cash point? These thugs won't have a bank account to take the money from, so it will probably have to come from their social security payments, which means us, the taxpayers, footing the bill again. Maybe we could wait until they have mugged the next old lady, or done their next robbery to collect their fine? E. Broadbent, Manchester.

What is the value to the wider community of imposing ASBO’s? Are they actually enforced and are they respected by the people on whom they are imposed? What does Mr Blair propose in order to ensure the policing of ASBO’s and to instill in offenders and their families the seriousness of having an ASBO imposed? I ask this because last summer I was assaulted practically on my own doorstep (repeatedly punched in the face and threatened) by three members of a family - the mother, her daughter and her son. My crime was to accidentally bump into the daughter in a local supermarket a few minutes earlier. I was followed by this family and the mother openly said to her son: “F**k your ASBO, son, just crack her, go on, kill her!” This crime was reported to the police along with CCTV of the family from the supermarket where they were openly shouting abuse at me, the name of the boy on the ASBO (his mother called him by his name during the assault) and a full statement from myself. So far I have heard nothing more- this attack occurred in May 2005. I still see the family locally and they laugh openly at me. I would love to hear what Tony Blair thinks of this example of ASBO’s in practice as opposed to ASBO’s in theory. Mel Anderson, Manchester.

Are ASBOS a good thing? Isn't it just moving the problem to another area where the nuisance neighbours will cause trouble in the new area? James Bennett, Manchester.

I left school in the early sixties and entered into an engineering apprenticeship where I learned respect, discipline and the necessity to listen which reinforced what I had been taught by my parents and my school. What this knowledge gave me was options for when the industry went into terminal decline and I had to eventually move into different spheres in which to maintain not only a lifestyle but also a family. My question two you is two-pronged.... Due to the relative lack of opportunities for potential school leavers (unless they move on into further education), and the seeming lack of discipline instilled within the framework of education, what options do you and your government offer the children who fail to gain any academic merit for one reason or another and invariably end up being the type of person you are concentrating on with your latest initiative? Further, why have neither you nor the government ever really discussed or looked at some form of conscription (not necessarily to the armed forces but to an employment opportunity which offers the options), allied to the disciplines invoked by a regime not easily walked away from - that I was lucky enough, in retrospect, to enjoy. George Pointon, Abbey Hey, Manchester.

Dear Mr Blair, my name is Joanne Carrington. I live in Gorton, and I have a twelve-year-old son who has just become the subject of an ASBO for 6 years. I did not fight this ASBO in fact, it was not a strict enough for me! When we were in court I asked for restrictions to be placed on this ASBO and was refused; the court staff were laughing, saying that I was the only parent in Manchester to ask for restrictions. My son has been out of school since June last year. I have approched so many agencies, 7 or more, and only one gives any support to me and my son (The Parent Partnership). My son has been statemented with having E.S.B.D for some time, and we have had no support whatsoever on this. We just get passed about. I am a mother who is deeply concerned about her son. I have done parenting courses. I have tried a residential school for my son, but this did not work out as he had difficulty staying a way from home. I really need some help, as by law my son is entitled to be educated. I feel very strongly that we are being failed. I feel like I am battling the education at every corner. I approached the local police to try and get help, as I am worried that my son will offend due to no school and being bored, and still I get no support. What can you do to help people in my position? Joanne Carrington, Manchester.

From your columns I notice that a high percentage of young people involved in anti social behaviour are in care. Will the planned sanctions against parents be levied personally on the responsible social worker in these cases? That will concentrate their minds to do their job properly. C. Hall, Urmston.

* Questions to Tony Blair on anti-social behaviour should be addressed to: Prime Minister's Questions, Newsdesk, Manchester Evening News, 160 Deansgate, Manchester, M60 2RD.

Or you can CLICK HERE to email us your question. Please include your name, address and phone number if you would like your question to be considered for Mr Blair. A selection of all your questions will be published on this page.

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