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Tackling Anti-social Behaviour and its causes
31 August 2008 by lifes2complicated
Recently, there have been a few incidents
in and around Kennet Heath which have prompted concern from
the residents. These incidents should be put into perspective
and are largely relatively minor, isolated events involving
one or two individuals.
However, the concern is genuine and valid.
The Kennet Heath Residents Association has identified anti-social
behaviour as one of a number of priorities that would benefit
from a watching brief. By working with local support groups
including Thatcham Town Council, West Berkshire Council, Thames
Valley Police and the Thatcham Neighbourhood Wardens, it is
hoped that any potential problem areas or persistent issues
can be suitably dealt with before they develop into a larger
problem for the estate as a whole.
What is anti-social behaviour?
The term anti-social behaviour covers a wide
range of selfish and unacceptable activity that can blight
the quality of community life. Terms such as 'nuisance', 'disorder'
and 'harassment' are also used to describe some of this behaviour.
Examples include:
- Nuisance neighbours
- Yobbish behaviour and intimidating groups
taking over public spaces
- Vandalism, graffiti and fly-posting
- People dealing and buying drugs on the
street
- People dumping rubbish and abandoned cars
- Begging and anti-social drinking
- The misuse of fireworks
- Reckless driving of mini-motorbikes.
A legal definition of anti-social behaviour
is found in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Act describes
anti-social behaviour as 'acting in an anti-social manner
as a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment,
alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household'
as the perpetrator.
Why is it important?
Most people care deeply about the neighbourhood
and community in which they live, and many play an active
role in making their neighbourhood a better place to live.
Unfortunately many people find that the biggest
priority in their area is tackling anti-social behaviour -
noisy neighbours, litter, fly-tipping, groups hanging around
or graffiti and criminal damage. All these really impact on
people's quality of life and weaken communities - people who
perceive high levels of anti-social behaviour are significantly
more likely to feel that their neighbours don't look out for
one another.
Too many people don't report anti-social behaviour,
because they don't believe their complaint will be taken seriously,
or that anything will happen if they do. We need to create
a stronger community where people are informed about what
action is happening to address their concerns, where people
feel it is worth them taking the time to pick up the phone,
go to a residents' meeting or put a youth night on for the
local kids.
Where can I get support and advice?
There are a number of initiatives in tackling
anti-social behaviour and its causes. A good starting place
is the Home Office 'Respect' website at http://www.respect.gov.uk
which provides a substantial amount of information on the
subject, suggestions for local communities, details on neighbourhood
policing and the powers of local authorities, community case
studies and much more.
West Berkshire Council also has a number of
initiatives, more information of which can be found on the
'Safer Communities' section of their website at http://www.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1268
The Citizens Advice Bureau can also offer
help and advice, see their article on 'Antisocial Behaviour
in housing' at http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/housing/anti_social_behaviour_in_housing.htm
I want to report an incident of anti-social
behaviour, what should I do?
The first point of contact is the Thatcham
South Neighbourhood Police Team, who can be contacted on the
Thames Valley Police non-emergency number:
Neighbourhood Police Team
08458 505 505
Please report any incidents of anti-social
behaviour on the estate to the neighbourhood police team.
The more reports the team receive, the more they are able
to act and respond to any developing issues. Only by doing
so will they be able to take action and respond, so it is
important that all incidents are reported so they can be logged
and courses of action determined.
This number should be used for anyone needing
to report a crime which isn't an emergency, including anti-social
behaviour. If you do become a victim of crime but do not feel
it is worth reporting immediately, the Neighbourhood Police
Team encourage you to report it at your earliest convenience
as it helps them to determine where crime is happening and
how often, and they can then specifically target these areas
in their patrols.
What if I'm not sure the Police are the right
people to contact?
Please refer to the West
Berkshire Council Anti Social Behaviour Directory for Residents.
This document gives further guidance on who to contact in
specific circumstances such as aggressive/abusive people,
abandoned vehicles, dangerous driving, dog fouling, litter,
graffiti, neighbour nuisance, noise nuisance and more.
What about the Thatcham Neighbourhood Wardens,
what do they do?
The Thatcham Neighbourhood Wardens are managed
by Sovereign Housing Association with funding from Thatcham
Town Council and West Berkshire Council. Their main role is
to be a visible presence, patrolling the streets and acting
as a focal point for the community. They can help with a number
of issues such as:
- Helping to reduce crime, the fear of crime and anti-social
behaviour
- Dealing with environmental problems such as fly-tipping
- Reporting maintenance problems such as street lamps which
aren't working
- Reporting neighbourhood nuisance problems such as noise
or dog fouling
The Wardens can be contacted by phone on 01635
869842 or by email at thatcham.wardens@sovereign.org.uk
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