Document Category: Police & Crime

In March 2023, Staffordshire was named as a pilot area in the government’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan which sets out a new approach to working with local agencies to tackle the issue of ASB. Staffordshire is one of 16 Police force areas taking part in the pilot before a national roll-out begins in 2024.

Over the next two years, £2 million of government funding will provide additional uniformed presence in ASB hot spot areas, including Burton Urban, Fenton West and Mount Pleasant, Hanley and Etruria, Stafford Town and Newcastle Town. The increased presence will help deter ASB, step up enforcement action against offenders, make sure crimes are punished more quickly and drive deterrence efforts, helping to stop behaviour spiralling into more serious criminality.

In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, ASB has reduced in recent years but this pilot is an opportunity to strengthen our community safety partnerships and reduce it further to reduce the impact of ASB on our communities.

Community Remedy is designed to give victims of low-level crime and ASB a greater say in how offenders should be dealt with. It allows Police and relevant partners to deal with low-level crime and manage offenders within the community, in consultation with the victim.

Community Remedy isn’t about being soft on crime, it’s about having a common-sense approach to addressing low-level crime. It’s about having a victim focus – the victim should be able to see the offender putting right what they have done wrong, or being asked to participate in an activity that deters them from re-offending. It’s about delivering the best outcome for victims, perpetrators, communities and the criminal justice system.

The Community Remedy is intended to give victims more say in the punishment of offenders out of court. However, the victim’s involvement is voluntary. In certain circumstances where perpetrators fail to comply, this may lead to additional evidence being put forward for more formal procedures.

Police officers and PCSOs will apply Community Remedies on a case-by-case basis using their professional judgment and discretion within a framework. The officer should ensure the victim understands the purpose of Community Remedy and knows they can choose not to be involved, however the final decision rests with the officer. The officer will take into account:

• The type of offence or incident
• Any previous offences or convictions
• Circumstances of the offence
• Risk to the public

Community Remedies can only be applied if:

• It is clear that a crime or incident has occurred
• The offender accepts responsibility
• Every effort has been taken to consult with the victim

Anyone involved who is under 18 will be referred to and managed through the Local Authority Youth Offending Services procedures. Anyone under 18 or vulnerable will need a family member, carer or responsible adult to assist them in understanding the purpose of Community Remedies.

If the victim is not contactable, or it cannot be ascertained who the victim is, for example, if the offence is graffiti in a public place, the officer will decide an appropriate action for the offender to undertake.

How to request an ASB Case Review

In Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire Police are the single point of contact to request a case review.

To apply you can either:

• call 101 and explain that you wish to apply for a case review
• use the Staffordshire Police live messaging service
• complete our online case review application form
• visit a police enquiry office at Longton, Cannock or Hanley

If you are unable to carry out any of the above then please write to the Central Disclosure Unit, Staffordshire Police HQ, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0YY. You should detail why you are applying for a case review.

To request a Case Review, a victim must meet the following threshold test:

• The victim must have reported three separate, related ASB 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

ASB Case Reviews

The ASB Case Review (previously known as the Community Trigger) is a powerful tool which allows victims to request action if they have reported multiple incidences of ASB but are unhappy with the response they received.

The review gives victims and communities the right to request a review of their case where a specific threshold is met. 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.

A Case Review is not about apportioning blame but is designed to focus on problem-solving the issue utilising the expertise of the partner agencies.

A victim can be an individual, business or community group, and a third party can make an
application for a Case Review on their behalf, with their consent. This can include a friend, relative, carer, councillor, Member of Parliament, or another professional person including a
Police officer. If a third party activates the Case Reviews on their behalf, the victim will need to be contacted to establish the facts and will need to confirm their consent to share their data.

The application is not appropriate if the victim wants to remain anonymous and it cannot be used to review a Crown Prosecution Service decision in relation to the prosecution or non-prosecution of a criminal offence, or a decision made by a civil or criminal court. It is not an alternative complaints procedure about service provision and such complaints should be signposted to the appropriate agency to follow their complaints process.

If anti-social behaviour (ASB) is affecting your quality of life, or making you fear for your
safety or the safety of others, there are people who can help.

You can contact Staffordshire Police, your Local Authority or, if relevant, your housing provider.

Police, councils, housing associations and other partners all have an interest in reducing
ASB, as where these problems are repeated, residents can feel unsafe in their own
neighbourhoods. Partners work together through Community Safety Partnerships. To
strengthen these partnerships, the Commissioner committed nearly £1m a year for three
years with the aim of reducing ASB through community action.

ASB is an incident that falls short of a crime, where the behaviour of an individual or group
causes or is likely to cause:

• harassment, alarm or distress to any person, not of the same household
• another party to feel personally threatened
• a public nuisance or detrimental impact upon the environment
• a detrimental effect upon the quality of life of an individual or the community as a
  whole