THE long-promised scrapping of the Asbo was criticised as a “rebranding exercise” yesterday – after the Government unveiled a new punishment that was nearly identical.

Police and local councils will be able to apply for “crime prevention injunctions” to crack down on louts, a civil order that ministers promised would “stop anti-social behaviour before it escalates”.

The injunctions will ban troublemakers from certain places, or from pursuing particular activities – and threaten them with imprisonment if the order is breached.

The Home Office stressed the new measure would – unlike the Asbo – combine punishment with “rehabilitation”, such as sending an offender on a drug awareness, or anger management course.

But the Children’s Society warned that the shake-up was a “missed opportunity”, after ministers said Asbos were failing and had become a “conveyor belt to serious crime”.

Around half of Asbos handed out across Merseyside and Cheshire over the last decade have been breached, according to official figures. And they are being used less and less.

The number issued to Merseyside children peaked at 57 in 2005, but fell to just 35 by 2009.

There has been widespread criticism that Asbos – which require less strict evidence than charging a person with a criminal offence – are celebrated by troublemakers as a “badge of honour”.

Bob Reitemeier, the Children’s Society’s chief executive, said: “This appears to be more of a rebranding exercise than anything else and is a missed opportunity to adopt a more effective approach.

“From our experience, strategies that seek to tackle issues through mediation and conflict resolution can be much more effective than using criminal or civil sanctions.”

The shake-up will also allow the courts to confiscate the passports of offenders given “criminal behaviour orders”– a second new measure, to be issued by the courts after conviction.

And a “community trigger” will aim to give residents more power, following criticisms that the police are still failing to properly investigate loutish behaviour.

They will be compelled to act if five people – from five different homes in the same neighbourhood – have complained, or if one person has protested about bad behaviour three times, yet no action has been taken.

Reports that the police would be able to confiscate iPods and other electronic gadgets from troublemakers were dismissed.

Assets could only be seized after conviction – and only if they were linked to loutish behaviour.

James Brokenshire, the crime prevention minister, said the shake-up was “a radical streamlining” of a system that had become bureaucratic and costly under Labour.

He added: “For too long antisocial behaviour has wreaked havoc in our communities. It is time for a new approach that better supports victims and makes it easier for the authorities to take fast, effective action.”