From 26 October new “Respect Orders” in Southall – police will be able to ban people from streets. Will it change anything?

From 26 October 2026 new powers known as Respect Orders will come into force in Southall. This is a tool that local politicians, including MP Deirdre Costigan and Councillor Jasbir Anand, have been pushing for. It is designed to give police and Ealing Council much stronger means to deal with people who persistently cause anti-social behaviour.

How will it work? Individuals who repeatedly engage in anti-social behaviour (ASB) will be able to be banned from specific locations – for example the town centre, stations or particular parks. Breaching such a ban will become a criminal offence, not just a civil matter. In practice this should allow police to respond much more quickly to serial offenders who currently return to the same streets day after day.

Southall residents have complained for years that the usual tools (warnings, fines, short-term injunctions) do not work on the most persistent individuals. Respect Orders are meant to change that. MP Costigan has stressed that the new powers are the result of a long campaign and discussions with the Home Office.

There are, however, sceptical voices. Some residents and local activists say bluntly: “New laws are one thing, visible policing is another.” They point out that Southall has some of the highest crime figures in the Met’s West Area, yet still lacks a dedicated town-centre police team of the kind that exists in Ealing Broadway. Without a real increase in officers on the ground, even the best legal tools risk remaining largely unused.

Time will tell whether Respect Orders become a genuine step forward or just another piece of paper. For now they represent one of the most concrete measures announced by the Council and police in 2026 in the fight against chronic anti-social behaviour in Southall.