It has become the bible for a new mantra in Downing Street: Deal with the small issues and the rest of the world will follow. This week the work of the former New York mayor, Rudolf Giuliani, will be revealed as the basis for one of the biggest crack-downs on what the Government describes as 'anti-social behaviour'.

Giuliani's autobiography, Leadership, is required reading for senior figures in Number 10. Peter Hyman, who works with Alastair Campbell in the Strategic Communications Unit, is a convert to the Giuliani cause, along with Pat McFadden, the Prime Minister's political secretary and convert to the issue of 'micro-politics'.

Giuliani built his political reputation on what became known as the Broken Window Theory of public behaviour. If the authorities do not bother cracking down on the small acts of criminality, they will soon preside over a situation where criminality is spiralling out of control.

'If you want to get ahead, get the book, that's the message,' said one Whitehall source.

Giuliani's policies led to the growth of the 'zero tolerance' campaign in New York which came down hard on acts of graffiti, loutish behaviour and vandalism. They will also be the key elements in the Government's anti-social behaviour push this week.

Although its detractors said that Giuliani simply concentrated on punishing perpetrators rather than dealing with why they were involved in petty crime in the first place, supporters said it showed an understanding of what bothered voters.

'Of course, everyone is worried about the big issues of education and health,' said another senior Government figure.'But when you knock on people's doors and ask them what is troubling them, they invariably say they are worried about abandoned cars, or the general mess around their house, or noisy neighbours.'

Giuliani argues it is only by 'sweating the small stuff' that Government can make a difference. He made the removal of graffiti from New York's streets a top priority. An attack on 'squeegee merchants' who clean car windscreens at traffic lights also became a key policy.

This week's anti-social behaviour White Paper will set out new rules on the areas Giuliani mapped out in his book. Bad behaviour by children will be punished by fines on the parents, 16-year-olds will be brought into the regime of 'on-the-spot' fines at present enforceable only on those over 18.

Although plans to dock child benefit for parents who don't ensure their children attend school has been dropped, parents who allow their children to run riot will find themselves ordered by the courts to attend 'good behaviour' lessons.

The White Paper will be short on specific targets after another lesson learnt from Leadership, that governments should always 'under-promise and over-deliver'.

Downing Street has said it wants to stop listing targets and concentrate on specific, achievable policies. 'Targetitis is over,' said one official.

Rudy's law

On civil behaviour...

Reducing crime was not enough: people must see an improvement. Tackling small offences was a way to establish lawful, civil behaviour.

On Broken Windows Theory...

The idea is that a seemingly minor matter such as broken windows in abandoned buildings leads to a more serious deterioration of a neighbourhoods. The solution is to crack down on small crime.

And his favourite quote...

...is from nineteenth-century drug addict De Quincey: 'If a man indulges in murder, he thinks little of robbing, he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking and on to incivility and procrastination.'