ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
What is anti-social behaviour?
Anti-social behaviour means different things to different people - noisy neighbours who ruin the lives of those around them, drug dealers, drunken 'yobs', people begging, abandoned cars, litter and graffiti, young people and adults using threatening and intimidating behaviour. It can occur anywhere - in people's homes and gardens, on estates, in town centres or shopping parades and in urban and rural areas. It blights people's lives, undermines the fabric of society and holds back regeneration. All the relevant agencies in Colchester came together in July 2004 to begin working in unison and decided on an agreed definition for anti-social behaviour as the following:
“Anti-social behaviour is conduct that any reasonable person would consider to be unacceptable and, in particular, behaviour that causes, or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. It can restrict regeneration, blight the quality of community life and create an environment in which crime can take hold.”
Who do you contact?
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In an emergency call 999. |
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ASB Team via 01206 282581 or by downloading this leaflet
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To remain anonymous about reporting criminal activity, phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. |
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ident is not an emergency but requires police intervention phone Essex Police, Colchester Division direct on 01206 762212 or one of the Neighbourhood Policing Teams on the numbers below. The Police will not know there is a problem if it is not reported. |
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If the incident(s) relate to areas of council responsibilities such as noise, housing, abandoned cars, graffiti, litter etc. contact the relevant council service and get specialist advice from a member of staff. The main council telephone number is 01206 282222 or the emergency helpline for out of hours is 01206 282207. |
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If you are a tenant or leaseholder of Colchester Borough Council please contact Colchester Borough Homes Tenancy Enforcement and Support Team on Free phone number 0808 220 33 33, or www.colchesterboroughhomes.co.uk or email cbhomes@colchester.gov.uk |
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If you are a tenant or leaseholder of a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) you can report ASB incidents to your housing officer/team. All RSLs work to the standards set out in the Respect Standard for Housing Management. |
What can you expect?
Depending on the scale of the problem reported, the very least you can expect is feedback regarding any action or enforcement that may be taken. Where a person is identified as acting in an anti-social way various options are considered. These are verbal warnings, written warnings, visits, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABC’s) and anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO’s). The action taken must be based upon what has happened and the evidence available. This means that there is a need for information and, where possible, witnesses.
What can you do?
If you feel that you are a victim of repeated crime keep a daily diary of the times and dates the incidents happen to help identify possible patterns of offending behaviour. This can be passed to the Police or council.
You could seek legal advice about obtaining a restraining order or injunction against the perpetrator(s).
For neighbour disputes you could contact SEAMS, by calling 01376 331511 or emailing ‘seamsbrt@globalnet.co.uk’, which mediates between parties to help achieve a resolution together.
You could join, or form a Colchester Borough Neighbourhood Watch group (CBNW). For details contact the Chair, Carole Dennis on 01206 513333 or visit their website www.cnhw.co.uk for excellent tips and advice on keeping safe.
Will it stop?
In most cases people change their behaviour as a result of these options and much success can be attributed to these types of actions.
What if it does not stop?
Persistent problems may be referred to a Neighbourhood Action Panel which represents local community leaders who lead a multi-agency problem solving team that looks at persistent problems and attempts to develop a long-term solutions.
If problems continue around an individual or family, a Case Conference can be held by the council’s ASB Team to identify what needs to be done, and by whom, to stop the ASB. Further action can be taken that could result in an injunction, parenting order, anti-social behaviour contract, eviction proceedings etc.
- Tenants are responsible for their own behaviour and that of members of their household and visitors. Similar actions can be taken in these instances
Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003
For further help and information contact the appropriate link above.
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