The proposed use of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) to bar shoplifters from the city centre is certainly well worth a try as part of the drive to make Bradford a better place to shop and to run a retail business.

Shoplifters undermine the whole shopping experience in the city. It's difficult enough for businesses to thrive in the present climate without having their stock nibbled away by sneak thieves. Indeed, the clothing retailer LostBoys blamed shoplifting for the failure of its business in the former Rackhams building.

If the ASBOs can be made effective, the policy is bound to give a major boost to the efforts of the new Urban Regeneration Company to revitalise the city centre. It will certainly be easier to attract investment if it can be shown that some of the worst and most persistent criminals have been flushed out and banned.

However, while these special orders sound splendid in theory, a great deal of thought will need to be put into how they can be policed effectively. If the people who have been banned consider there is only a slight chance of them being caught, they are likely to be tempted to breach the order.

Adequate police resources will be needed to patrol the city centre with the help of community support officers and street wardens to ensure that those who have been banned stay banned. The police will also have to be ready to combat the other sorts of crime elsewhere which are bound to increase as the addicts who steal from shops to finance their habit seek alternative sources of funding.