Helping you to report anti-social behaviour
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Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police, and as part of the UK’s first national ASB awareness week we’re sharing some advice on how to report it, and who to.
Does it feel like a high-risk situation?
Any ASB incident that is happening right now, where you feel frightened for yourself or someone else, or where property is being damaged, is an emergency so always call 999 to report to the police.
Similarly, if you are vulnerable, or are calling on behalf of someone who is, and are being directly targeted by the ASB with the fear that you are at imminent risk, please call 999 immediately.
Outside of issues happening at the time, non-emergency reports of ASB affecting your or others’ quality of life can be made to the police by calling 101 or reporting online at www.northants.police.uk/ro.
What to expect when reporting to the police
When you call the police to report ASB, we need to get as much information as possible from you so we can accurately assess the situation – this might feel frustrating, but here are a few points to help you understand why we need to do this.
- Firstly, we need to understand the reason for your call – this may mean you have to answer lots of questions, but we need lots of information so that we fully understand what’s happening. We need to understand if you are being personally targeted or if you’re concerned for others, or the wider community, or whether you are a victim of crime
- We’ll ask you for your details – we need to understand who you are and your personal circumstances, as we don’t want to miss anything such as any vulnerabilities, so again please be patient with us
- We then need to understand what effect the situation has on you, or others or the wider community, and how this makes you feel. There are a range of emotions that arise from ASB, from nuisance and annoyance or to being alarmed or distressed, so we need you to describe to us how what is happening is affecting you
- Not all ASB issues are police matters. If what you’re reporting isn’t something we would deal with, we will tell you and give you advice as to who you need to contact to report the issue e.g. reporting noise or fly tipping to your local council
Other agencies who can help
If the ASB issue centres around noise, fly tipping or complaints related to dogs, you should report it to your local council via their website.
It is also worth reporting ASB issues to social housing providers, as some have ASB teams to support their tenants with housing-related complaints.
Where you are unable or cannot make a report about ASB yourself, such as where there is a language barrier, let a trusted person or group know about what is going on, so they can report it for you, either to us or the relevant partner agency.