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Antisocial behaviour

Current residents Current residents

If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 999 straight away

You can report antisocial behaviour in your area by following this link 

We are committed to trying to resolve problems of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and making sure that residents can enjoy their homes in peace. We develop our strategies for dealing with ASB in line with current best practices. If you are affected by ASB these are the standards of service you can expect from us.

Reporting

  • If you telephone us to report a complaint of ASB our staff will take details from you straight away.
  • We will log all complaints we receive on our internal computer system.
  • We will let you know the name of the person dealing with your case and when you can expect contact. 
  • We will send you a letter acknowledging the complaint within the timescale set out by the Arches classifications, contained within our ASB Policy.

Definitions

Complainant = The person making a complaint sometimes called the victim

Perpetrator = The person who is accused of causing the ASB

Investigation

Contacting the complainants:

  • Once we've received a report, an officer will contact you to talk about the complaint in line with the following timescales:
    • Serious cases such as hate crimes or physical assault – within 24 hours
    • All other reports of ASB – Within 3 working days
  • We will keep the identity of victims/witnesses confidential when requested
  • If we think it will be easy for a perpetrator to work out who is complaining about them, we will make sure that the victim is aware of this
  • We will agree an action plan on how we will deal with the problem with the complainant

Contacting the alleged perpetrator:

If the complainant (or victim if appropriate) agrees that we can do so, an interview with the perpetrator will be made as soon as possible after the first meeting with the complainant. If the complainant wants to remain anonymous we will commit to this but in cases where this is not possible, we will discuss this with the complainant.

The first meeting is to:

  • To give the perpetrator a chance to respond to the allegations
  • Let the perpetrator know what parts of their tenancy agreement they are breaking
  • Reach an agreement about how they should behave in the future
  • See whether the perpetrator is vulnerable and if they need any support

Where a criminal offence or serious tenancy breach takes place we may decide to take further action without the complainants or victim's consent where it is safe and reasonable to do so. If this occurs we will discuss it with the complainant.

Reviewing the case

After the initial interviews and throughout, we will regularly review the case and let you know how things are progressing.   

Further evidence

As well as speaking to the complainant and the alleged perpetrator, we will look to speak to anybody that has witnessed the incident as well as looking at any other evidence such as photographs, videos, information from the Police or noise monitoring equipment. 

Legal Action

  • In some more serious or persistent cases, we may consider taking legal action to solve the problem. We will consider the full range of legal remedies available to us and choose the one that we feel is most likely to make sure that the ASB stops
  • We will talk to you about any legal action we are thinking about taking and only go through with it if you agree that we should

Witness Support

  • If you appear as a witness in any legal action we will take steps to protect your safety
  • We will arrange for you to visit the court before the hearing, if you wish and will explain what will happen if you are a witness
  • We will arrange for transport for you to and from the court hearing or pay your travel expenses
  • We will make sure that you have someone with you at all times in court
  • If appropriate we will ask the court to set aside a room for your use while waiting for the hearing to start 

Closing Cases

Any complaints of ASB will be closed when:

  • The complainant asks that the case be closed
  • Reports of ASB cannot be proved after thorough investigations
  • The case has been successfully resolved through our intervention
  • Where we are unable to contact a complainant 

We will always explain to a complainant the reasons why a case is being closed. 

When closing a case we will also always write to advise the alleged perpetrator, where they have been notified of the allegations.

ASB (in scope)

Not ASB (out of scope)

Animal nuisance

Babies crying

Arson

Children playing

Assault and threats of violence against people

Cooking smells

Brothels

DIY noise that is taking place at reasonable hours (7.00am to 11pm)

Fly-tipping

Dog and cat fouling

Criminal damage (including offensive graffiti) or threats to damage property

Disputes with friends and family

Drug dealing and use

Lifestyle clashes

Noise (deemed to be a statutory nuisance)

General living noise – doors banging, footsteps etc

Prostitution

  

Sexual offences

  

Verbal abuse/harassment/intimidation

Personal disputes and minor personal difference such as dirty looks or fall outs between children

Weapons

  

Misuse of communal or public spaces

  

hoarding items in the property or garden where this is serious risk to the health & safety including fire risk or infestation.

One-off parties such as BBQs, birthday or special occasion providing they do not cause an unacceptable disturbance and there is not a pattern of similar behaviour.

Nuisance from vehicles

Parking (non designated areas)

Other criminal behaviour, including hate crimes and domestic abuse

  

 

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