ASB Awareness Week: What is ASB, and why is it so serious?

Today marks Victims’ Day in Antisocial Behaviour Awareness Week. As part of our contribution, we’re focussing on what ASB is, why it’s important that it is reported, and how police and council partners can help those affected.

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) takes many forms and can have a severe impact – it can devastate the lives of victims and communities and can also be a starting point for more serious crime.

ASB also has the potential to be very subjective – what constitutes ASB to one person, may not be viewed as such by another.

The legal definition of ASB can be summed up as conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person. This definition may also include causing nuisance or annoyance.

Situations that aren’t routinely regarded as ASB include:

• Children playing in the street or communal areas
• Young people gathering socially, unless they are swearing and being intimidating to individuals
• People parking outside someone else’s house
• Normal living noise such as DIY and car repairs, toilets flushing, doors banging, unless these are taking place late at night
• Personal differences, such as civil disputes between neighbours e.g. shared driveways

If any of the above are affecting you, the Citizens Advice Bureau provides good advice on how to engage with your neighbours and discuss your concerns and your options, including where to find a mediator.

Types of ASB and how it’s dealt with

Behaviours often associated with ASB are described as being persistent and unreasonable including intimidating or threatening behaviours. This may also include loud music, car cruising, the selling or using of drugs, violence and criminal damage. These behaviours can affect the quality of life of those experiencing such behaviours. 

ASB may affect you directly if you are being singled out by another person. In other circumstances you may be one of many who are affected within the wider community. Either way, we need you to report it so that we are aware of what’s happening. 

A local partnership approach is the key to dealing with ASB – councils, police and other groups working together will all contribute to the intervention that will reduce the behaviour and prevent it from escalating.

By reporting that you’re being affected by ASB, you will help these local partnerships to build up a picture of what’s happening within your community and where they need to focus on. Unlike investigating crimes, we can use Hearsay evidence, this means we do not need to disclose any personal details of those reporting.

Where you are directly affected by someone else’s behaviours and the risk is particularly high, it may well be regarded as harassment, and this will need to be investigated as a crime.

However, the underlying ASB interventions will be in place to deal with any emerging ASB related behaviours reported that are affecting people and the wider community.

Neighbour disputes can be the most challenging to resolve due to the close proximity of those involved. Many will have started in circumstances which are not ASB-related but have escalated into more serious behaviours.

The key is to identify any emerging ASB issue as soon as possible and to consider early intervention options to prevent it escalating including considering mediation.  

The police, in partnership with the council, will seek to understand the effect that the ASB is having on victims and the wider community and take a harm-centred approach to their problem solving. This is where the impact on the victim or the community is a key factor in deciding on the most appropriate action.

How will the police progress a case of ASB?

Dealing with ASB has to be a partnership approach the police cannot resolve ASB alone and must work with key partners such as the local council.

When dealing with reported ASB, the primary concern is making sure the person affected is being looked after and then to build up a picture of what’s happening and to whom and where.

The key aspect in safeguarding a victim is an initial risk assessment to establish the impact on each individual. This is graded as standard, medium or high. This will be followed by an additional full risk assessment particularly where the circumstances are complex.

In circumstances where we conclude that the situation is not ASB we will seek to providing advice and guidance to all parties to prevent the situation from escalating.   

A problem-solving approach involving key partners will be applied to try and improve the situation with regular reviews to monitor the progress of any agreed interventions.

Hopefully a combination of advice and warnings, along with voluntary agreements can prevent the situation from escalating.

However, where this isn’t successful there are a range of options available such as ASB notices or injunctions which may result in the offender appearing in court. 

Reporting ASB and finding support

If you’re affected by ASB, please don’t suffer in silence. Reporting it allows the police and partners to see what’s happening, and take steps to protect and support you, as well as address the behaviour itself.

Information on ASB, including how to report it, is available here: https://www.northants.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/

Report non-emergency incidents via 101, or call 999 in an emergency, where a crime is in progress or life is at risk.

Voice provides free support to victims and witnesses of crime, including ASB. Find out and access help here: Voice Northants | Voice for Victims & Witnesses

About Voice 

• Voice is a free, confidential support service for anyone affected by crime in Northamptonshire.
• The service is available to anyone, whether a crime has been reported to police or not and regardless of when or where it happened. It doesn’t matter if you were the victim of a crime, a witness of crime or have been affected by something that happened to your family, friends or community – Voice is here to help and support you.
• Voice also operates specialist service for children and young people, those who have been affected by crime on the roads, and those looking to take part in Restorative Justice.