The Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office (SCO) is supporting Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week, (3-9 July), which aims to encourage communities to take a stand against ASB and highlight the actions those experiencing it can take.
This year’s theme is ‘Know your Rights’, with a particular focus on the ASB Case Review (previously known as the Community Trigger) – a powerful tool allowing victims to request action if they have reported multiple incidences of ASB but are unhappy with the response they received.
To apply for an ASB Case Review, you must have reported three separate, related incidents to the Police, local authority or housing provider within the last six months, and the ASB must still be continuing. All incidents should have been reported within 30 days of them taking place.
In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, a new approach has been agreed which will bring consistency to how ASB Case Reviews are managed and align to national good practice. Applications will be reviewed by an independently chaired panel who will make recommendations for problem-solving the issue using the expertise of partner agencies including the Police, local authority, housing providers and health.
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “In Staffordshire, we’ve seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour in recent years, but it remains a priority for me and I welcome this week’s national focus on tackling an issue which can be harmful to victims and communities.
“The ASB Case Review process can be invaluable in giving victims of persistent ASB a voice, and the new approach taken across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will bring a consistent approach to how such cases are managed.
“Police, councils, housing associations and others all work together to tackle ASB through Community Safety Partnerships and I’ve committed funding to strengthen these, as where problems are repeated, people can feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods.
“My office is leading on a range of initiatives to drive down ASB even further, and I’m looking forward to more people being able to enjoy their neighbourhoods and public spaces with less nuisance, vandalism and threat as a result of our interventions.”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “It is one of my top priorities as Home Secretary to drive down anti-social behaviour which has a real negative impact on people’s wellbeing and sense of safety in their own neighbourhoods.
“I want to see common-sense policing that delivers swift justice for victims and real consequences for perpetrators. I am pleased to see the commitment from police forces to ensure our Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan is implemented in every community across the country, making streets safer for all.”
Other initiatives in Staffordshire include:
- £2 million of government funding over two years for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, as part of a pilot tackling ASB through an enhanced uniformed presence in hot spots, including Burton Urban, Fenton West and Mount Pleasant, Hanley and Etruria, Stafford Town and Newcastle Town
- Committing nearly £1m a year for three years to provide funding to Community Safety Partnerships, and providing grants to reduce ASB and support community action
- New ASB campaigns launching this summer, funded by the government’s Safer Streets fund, which aim to inform the public about how to report ASB in their local area, as well as tackling the cause by educating offenders on the impacts of ASB and the consequences of breaching Public Space Protection Orders. Previous Safer Streets funding saw practical partnership measures like CCTV, gating and improved lighting in targeted areas, combined with awareness campaigns and education programmes, to tackle ASB and violence against women and girls
- The summer Space programme, relaunched in 2015, brings together public, voluntary and private sector organisations to provide activities for vulnerable young people to help increase their skills, improve their health and wellbeing and create opportunities, while also aiming to reduce levels of ASB. Since being relaunched, Space has seen a 75% reduction in youth ASB during the summer period. The programme will be returning between 31 July and 1 September 2023
- The Harmony ASB and Mediation Service, commissioned by the SCO, has been delivered by Victim Support since 2021 to provided practical and emotional support to people impacted by ASB
- The Community Remedy, designed to give victims of low-level crime and ASB a greater say in how offenders are dealt with. It allows Police and partners to deal with low-level crime and manage offenders within the community, in consultation with the victim. Victims should be able to see the offender putting right what they have done wrong, or participating in an activity that deters them from re-offending
Find out more about what the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office is doing to tackle ASB across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
