Help curb Antisocial Behaviour

Published: 22 August 2023

According to Neighbourhood Watch, antisocial behaviour (ASB) incidents have increased over the last three years. Police forces, councils and housing associations are reporting significant spikes in ASB cases – and these are not minor incidents. They are complex and serious cases causing real harm to many people. 


Antisocial behaviours are a range of actions that can cause nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to a person in their home, neighbourhood or community. It is a wide range of unacceptable activities such as:

Noise nuisance including loud musicbangingDIY at unsocial hoursloud parties and frequent visitors at unsocial hours

Household disputes including shoutingswearing and fighting

Harassment and intimidation including intimidation through threats or actual violenceabusive behaviour aimed at causing distress or fear to certain people, e.g. elderly or disabled peopleand verbal abuse

Environmental antisocial behaviour including dumping rubbishanimal nuisance, including dog fouling and dogs barking, vandalism, property damage and graffiti, antisocial drinking, driving in an inconsiderate or careless way, for example, drivers congregating in an area for racing/car cruising, and arson (secondary fires).

It is important to keep a record of the incidents and the behaviours as this will be of great help in investigating the behaviour and tackling it. It can also help you to get some perspective on how often it happens. If you decide to take formal action at some stage, it can help others see an established pattern of nuisance over time.

Antisocial behaviour can ruin lives and devastate communities. Reporting antisocial behaviour early on is important to prevent it from escalating. 

The Local Authority, Social Housing Landlords & the police all have powers to deal with antisocial behaviour. It is important that on reporting anti-social behaviour to your local authority, police or housing provider that you detail the impact that it is having on your health and wellbeing being

REPORTING:

If the antisocial behaviour is serious, criminal or causing a risk to a person report it to the police in the first instance

  • If it’s an emergency and the crime is still taking place, call 999 and ask for the police
  • If it’s not an emergency, call the non-emergency number 101 instead. 
  • Or report it directly to the police via their website.
     

Secondly, contact either the Local Authority or your Social Housing Landlord

  • If you are a tenant or a leaseholder of a Social Housing Landlord, contact your landlord to report the issues. Landlords should take complaints seriously and act professionally. If you ask, they must publish and provide documents that set out the types of behaviours they can help to tackle. Your landlord should clarify what information they need from you and what help they can provide and keep you updated until your case has been closed. They should also tell you about the help available from other agencies with different powers and responsibilities, such as your local authority or the police, and support you to approach them. They should also put you in touch with services such as Mediation and Victim Support if needed.
     
  • If you are in private rented accommodation or a homeowner, contact your local authority who will have dedicated personnel who deal with antisocial behaviour. 

If the antisocial behaviour is not serious, criminal or causing a risk to a person, you should contact either the Local Authority or your Social Housing Landlord in the first instance, then the police.