Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour: Making Our Communities Safer
The government has been hard at work implementing measures to combat anti-social behavior and make our communities safer. Through the Anti-Social Behavior Action Plan, £20 million of funding has been invested in 16 pilot areas for hotspot police and law enforcement patrols. The plan also includes a new ‘Immediate Justice’ scheme to impose swift and visible punishments on perpetrators of anti-social behavior. The results are in, and they are promising. Several hotspot testing forces have reported significant decreases in anti-social behavior.
Lancashire Police have reported a 36% drop in reported incidents of anti-social behavior in Brunswick, Blackpool, compared to the same period last year. Staffordshire Police have reported a combined 20% drop in reported incidents of anti-social behavior at five locations in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme compared to the previous year. It is estimated that at least 150,000 additional hours of individual police and partner hotspot patrols will be carried out in the 10 pilot areas by March 2024 before the initiative is rolled out across all police forces in England and Wales.
Crime and Police Minister Chris Philp stated that anti-social behavior blights neighborhoods and brings fear and misery to local people. The government is committed to a zero-tolerance approach and is delighted that the action plan is beginning to have a positive impact on communities across the country. With the tools given to police and local partners, the government aims to ensure that people can feel safe and proud of the place they call home.
Future measures to combat anti-social behavior include giving more powers to landlords and housing associations to evict unruly tenants, restoring parks and green spaces to make them safer, and introducing legislation to respond to nuisance begging and rough sleeping.
Additionally, police and crime commissioners have been allocated up to £1 million each as part of the Safer Streets Fund to deliver local projects to combat anti-social behavior, acquisitive crime, and violence against women and girls. This funding will cover the period between 1 October 2023 and 31 March 2025.
The government’s efforts to combat anti-social behavior go beyond just law enforcement. The goal is to provide support and tools to both the public and the agencies working to address these issues within our communities. With planned measures such as the Anti-Social Behavior One Stop Shop, individuals will be able to report anti-social behavior and receive feedback on the response.
This comprehensive approach serves to give the public confidence that reports of anti-social behavior will be taken seriously and addressed. The government is committed to creating a safer and more pleasant environment for all members of society.
As we celebrate the early successes of the Anti-Social Behavior Action Plan, we can look forward to the continued progress in driving out anti-social behavior and making our communities safer and more welcoming for everyone. With a combination of funding, law enforcement, and community support, the government is showing its dedication to this important issue. Let’s continue working together to create a brighter future for our neighborhoods.
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These additional patrols, along with hundreds of additional arrests and searches, were only part of the government’s measures. Action plan against antisocial behaviorreleased 6 months ago.
The latest data shows that since uniformed hotspot patrols were deployed in 10 pilot areas, there have been more than 250 arrests, more than 600 stop and searches and around 1,000 other enforcement actions such as community protection notices and protection orders public.
Through the Anti-Social Behavior Action Plan, up to £20 million of funding will be invested in 16 pilot areas for hotspot police and law enforcement patrols, or a new ‘Immediate Justice’ scheme. to impose swift and visible punishments on perpetrators of antisocial behaviour. Some areas are trialling both schemes.
Thanks to this work, several hotspot testing forces have reported significant decreases in antisocial behavior. Lancashire Police have reported that in Brunswick, Blackpool, there has been a 36% drop in reported incidents of anti-social behavior compared to the same period last year, when there were no patrols in hotspots.
Staffordshire Police has reported a combined 20% drop in reported incidents of anti-social behavior at five locations in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme compared to the previous year.
It is estimated that at least 150,000 additional hours of individual police and partner hotspot patrols will be carried out in the 10 pilot areas by March 2024 before the initiative is rolled out across all police forces in England and Wales. forward this year.
Crime and Police Minister Chris Philp said:
Antisocial behavior blights neighborhoods and brings fear and misery to local people, whether it’s people smoking cannabis in the street, intimidating gatherings in public spaces or acts of vandalism.
We will not tolerate it. I am delighted that our action plan and zero-tolerance approach is beginning to have a positive impact on communities across the country.
By giving police and local partners the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour, we can help ensure that wherever people live they can feel safe and proud of the place they call home.
Today’s announcement coincides with a meeting of the anti-social behavior task force. Led jointly by the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Leveling Up, this will bring together police and crime commissioners, police chiefs and local partners to continue to drive progress on the government’s Anti-Social Behavior Action Plan.
Secretary of State for Levelling, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, said:
The poison of anti-social behavior stops people feeling safe in their community and erodes local pride.
That’s why our Anti-Social Behavior Action Plan is a vital part of our mission to level up. As we can see from today’s data, that plan is starting to pay off: it shows victims and communities across the country that thuggish behavior will never be tolerated.
The meeting will allow those on the ground to give a first-hand account of what is working in the fight against anti-social behavior in their local community and will allow ministers to be sure that those on the frontline have the tools they need.
This comes after the government recently announced that the possession of nitrous oxide, also known as “laughing gas”, will be illegal from November 8, 2023, fulfilling the Home Secretary’s promise to be stricter with blatant drug use in local communities and associated anti-social behaviour.
Other measures that have been implemented since the launch of the plan include:
- Every police and crime commissioner in England and Wales has been allocated up to £1 million as part of the Safer Streets Fund to cover the period between 1 October 2023 and 31 March 2025, to deliver local projects to combat antisocial behaviour, acquisitive crime and violence. against women and girls
- Additional funding of up to £2.5 million has been allocated for transport security officers to make public transport safer, including staff specially trained to deal with low-level nuisance and disorder.
- The punishment for those who graffiti, litter or fly has been increased with fines of up to £500 and £1,000.
- One million additional hours of youth services have been provided in areas with the highest rates of antisocial behavior to put people on the right path and prevent them from offending in the first place.
In the coming months we will be launching the Anti-Social Behavior One Stop Shop, where people will be able to report anti-social behavior to the appropriate local first responders and get feedback on the response. This will also allow local agencies to share information on perpetrators of anti-social behavior within communities, identify repeat offenders and take necessary action. This tool will ensure that the public can find local services that are best placed to act on their reports of antisocial behavior and build confidence that reports will be taken seriously and addressed.
Other measures that will also be taken in the coming months include:
- More powers are given to landlords and housing associations to evict unruly tenants who ruin the lives of their neighbors through anti-social behaviour.
- Parks and green spaces are being restored with up to £5 million to make them safer with new CCTV and repair of equipment and play areas, and to plant more trees and flowers.
- Work is underway to introduce legislation to repeal the outdated Vagrancy Act 1824, with a package of new measures to better equip police and local authorities to respond to nuisance begging and rough sleeping, which can be detrimental to individuals themselves and for the general public.
Rebecca Bryant OBE, CEO of Resolve, said:
We know from our own research that many victims and witnesses do not report antisocial behaviour, but they would be more likely to report the behavior if there was a more visible police and agency presence.
This “hot spots” approach makes the most of limited resources and we look forward to seeing it implemented nationwide.
Case study 1: Lancashire Police
This year, hotspot patrols in Brunswick, Blackpool carried out by Lancashire Police during July, August and September have seen police working with local partners to tackle anti-social behaviour, including begging, sex work and threatening behaviour. . The increased presence of officers on the street has seen reports of incidents of antisocial behavior decrease by 36.6% compared to the same period last year.
Case study 2: Staffordshire Police
This year, hotspot policing by Staffordshire Police during July, August and September in five hotspot areas in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme has seen a combined decrease in reported incidents of anti-social behavior 20% from the public. compared to the same period last year.
In Newcastle-under-Lyme city centre, extra police patrols have been deployed to combat drug and alcohol related anti-social behaviour. After identifying areas where drug paraphernalia was being disposed of, follow-up work was carried out with partner agencies by the police to clear the area along with high visibility patrols to provide reassurance to the local community and deter criminals. drug users.
After dispersing groups of young people, a quantity of drugs were seized, including monkey dust and cannabis, as well as several knives.
Case study 3: Essex Police
More than 2,757 hours of police patrols and 1,400 hours of Community Safety Partnership patrols have been carried out in 11 anti-social behavior hotspots across Essex. As a result, there have been:
- 35 arrests
- 109 stops and searches
- 58 informal warnings issued
- 45 fixed penalty notices issued
In a pilot area, Debden, police and Community Safety Partnership teams have worked collaboratively to use a public spaces protection order (PSPO) to tackle a high volume of incidents of anti-social behavior linked to drug use , annoying noises, aggressive begging, intimidation and fights. This work has made a difference to local business owners and the public who praised the team’s positive proactive work.
Case study 4: Sussex Police
In Sussex, a man was caught graffitiing on an industrial estate, damaging property and causing a negative effect on surrounding businesses, staff and members of the public passing through the area.
Officers referred the individual to the ‘Immediate Justice’ program and he was asked to carry out remedial work in Brighton city centre, including collecting rubbish and weeding public planters in an area known for incidents of ASB.
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