What the government's 'Plan for Change' means for anti-social behaviour
Over the past few weeks it has been very encouraging to see an ongoing focus on anti-social behaviour. With the recent announcements from the Home Office regarding neighbourhood policing guarantee, and the trial and introduction of Respect Orders, we are pleased that proactive steps are being taken to address prolific and deeply entrenched ASB in our communities.
Today’s speech from the Prime Minister, in his own words, “doubles down” on those pledges made in Labour’s manifesto, and their ‘Plan for Change‘. ASB is a scourge on a peaceful, respectful way of life, and all too often is brushed off as ‘low level’, or trivial. However, it devastates lives, and leaves a lasting impact on communities.
Victims repeatedly tell us they do not feel safe in their own homes, and they do not know who to turn to or even if they will be listened to. No one should EVER feel that way.
Management of ASB requires a multi-agency approach, with police, local authorities and housing providers working together with other experts to tackle the problem.
The pledge previously made and reinforced today as one of the government’s key milestones, of 13,000 Police Officers being channelled into neighbourhood policing, is a welcomed one. Victims deserve to know who they can talk to, they deserve continuity and an empathetic response and we hope that these new steps will reaffirm that confidence in our community safety teams.
ASB Help’s Chief Executive Officer, Harvinder Saimbhi was at Pinewood Studios this morning for the Prime Minister’s speech and says:
“Hearing the Prime Minister speak first-hand about the six key milestones this morning has given us further hope for the recognition of anti-social behaviour as a national priority. The neighbourhood policing guarantee, specifically the increase in neighbourhood officers, and named officers as a point of contact within communities will give great reassurance to victims. Victims who too often have to repeat reports to different officers and agencies and chase progress on their cases. Having dedicated, appropriately trained Police Officers who will be able to respond quickly, will support victims and community needs.
Over the years we have campaigned for specialist ASB officers and I am glad to see we are heading in the right direction. However, we must ensure these officers are not redeployed to other areas of policing as we have seen in the past.”
If you are being impacted by anti-social behaviour and don’t know where to turn, please get in touch
Respect Orders to tackle anti-social behaviour
ASB Help welcomes today’s announcement from the Home Office on the trial and introduction of Respect Orders. Anti-social behaviour continues to have a devastating impact on victims and communities across England and Wales. We are keen to see how this new power will be implemented and the effect it will have on the issues faced by victims across the country.
Following the Home Secretary’s announcement of major policing reforms, the Home Office has announced their plans to bring in new Respect Orders which will “subject repeat offenders of anti-social behaviour to tough restrictions on their behaviour”.
Here are the take aways from the Home Office’s announcement:
- Respect Orders will give police the power to ban persistent offenders from town centres, or from drinking in public spots.
- Perpetrators can be required to address the root cause of their behaviour e.g. via drug/alcohol treatment; similar to positive requirements seen under injunctions currently.
- Unlike injunctions, breaching a Respect Order will be a criminal offence – police will have the ability to immediately arrest anybody breaching their Respect Order.
- As well as prison sentences of up to two years, criminal courts will also be able to issue unlimited fines and community orders, such as unpaid work, and curfews as punishment for breaching a Respect Order.
- Police will have stronger powers to seize vehicles involved in ASB, no longer requiring to issue a warning before seizing the vehicle(s), including off-road bikes and dangerous e-scooters on pavements.
In response to this announcement, our CEO, Harvi, states:
“As the national charity that supports victims of anti-social behaviour, we regularly hear from victims who share with us the impact and harm they experience from repeated incidents of ASB. The lack of response from agencies leaves victims with little hope that the offenders will be dealt with robustly. Therefore, we are encouraged by the approach of addressing root causes of anti-social behaviour which will in turn work towards reducing reoffending rates, bringing respite to victims and communities.
It is important that the trial of Respect Orders is implemented effectively through comprehensive training which will give confidence to both the police and councils on how to use the new power.
It is vital that appropriate resources are provided to the key agencies who will provide the services, for offenders to undertake positive rehabilitation, such as attending drug or alcohol treatment services, or an anger management course to address the underlying causes of their behaviour.
We must also ensure there is robust monitoring and review of the Respect Orders during the trial period as we must get this right.
There must be a balanced approach to both dealing with persistent ASB in town centres and with those victims that face persistent ASB within their homes. The Respect Orders will complement the current tools and powers, and we look forward to their full implementation. We hope this will promote national consistency so that every victim, regardless of where they live in England and Wales, can feel confident that their ASB will be taken seriously and dealt with.”
Our Deputy CEO, Charlie, appeared on Sky News this morning to discuss these new powers:
ASB Awareness Week 2024
We want to highlight ASB Awareness Week this year by providing a wealth of information for practitioners and victims, in hopes of improving outcomes for victims of anti-social behaviour.
A few weeks ago, we launched our Your Voice Your Right campaign to raise awareness of the ASB Case Review. We want to highlight and continue this conversation to ensure it is not forgotten.
The daily themes for ASB Awareness Week 2024 are as follows:
Monday 18th – Partnership Day
Tuesday 19th – Victim’s Day
Wednesday 20th – “Let’s Talk ASB” Day
Thursday 21st – Community Heroes Day
Friday 22nd – Young People’s Day
Saturday 23rd – ASB and Health Day
Sunday 24th – Community Action Day
Each day we will be releasing videos, blogs, and/or case studies to raise awareness of anti-social behaviour and highlight good practice.
Please feel free to use any of the resources below to raise awareness of the ASB Case Review and best practices when conducting them.
ASB Case Review workshop with Merseyside PCC - 23/06/21
Helping victims of ASB to get the right response
More than 30 community safety organisations will receive training today to ensure victims of anti-social behaviour get the right response, thanks to the region’s Police Commissioner.
Emily Spurrell has united with charity ASB Help to run the online workshop today (Wednesday 23rd June) which aims to increase awareness and understanding of the ‘ASB Case Review’.
The ASB Case Review, also known as the ASB Case Review, was introduced in 2014. It is a legal tool which gives victims of persistent anti-social behaviour the right to demand that local agencies review their response.
A member of the public can request a ASB Case Review from their local council if they have reported three incidents of anti-social behaviour in the preceding six months, and they feel further action is needed to resolve their case. Anyone can activate the community trigger, including practitioners, with the consent of the victim.
Once a ASB Case Review is activated, the local council must notify the other organisations involved, including the police, local health teams and registered providers of social housing, and hold a multi-agency case review, which sees all the various agencies come together to identify actions that can be taken to resolve the case.
If a victim is not happy with the response, they can appeal to the Police Commissioner who will examine the case review and may ask the agencies to conduct a further review of their case.
Today’s virtual training will be led by ASB Help’s Chief Executive Rebecca Brown, and is due to be attended by 33 representatives from partner organisations, including each of the region’s five Local Authority community safety partnerships, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue and a host of housing associations and community organisations.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “The ASB Case Review was brought in seven years ago to give victims of persistent ASB who feel nothing is being done and no-one is listening, the chance to get answers.
“Yet sadly, this important legal tool is still little known and little understood. I wanted to change that here in Merseyside, so that all the agencies involved in the process know how it should be used and feel confident promoting it to victims in their area.
“Anti-social behaviour is often, wrongly, viewed as ‘low-level’, but for victims who are repeatedly and persistently targeted it can have a hugely damaging effect, leaving people too scared to leave their front door and even afraid while they are inside their own home. It causes fear, stress, anxiety, depression. People who are subjected to this type of treatment deserve to get help and, if it isn’t forthcoming, they deserve to know why.
“I hope by running this training event today, more people will be able to come forward and get answers promptly and proactively. Crucially, I hope it will give more victims the confidence to come forward if they are suffering.”
ASB Helps’ Rebecca Brown said: “The community trigger is an essential mechanism for both victims and practitioners. It enables victims to use their voice and explain clearly the harm being caused to them and give their opinion on what a resolution would look like. For practitioners, it gives them back some control to raise the profile of a case and collaborate with community stakeholders to create an action plan to resolve it.”
Organisations were also invited to take ‘The ASB pledge’ – a six-point commitment which asks agencies to promote awareness of the ASB Case Review, ensure their process is accessible and inclusive and puts the victim first
Dyfed-Powys Police have taken the ASB Pledge
Dyfed-Powys Police have taken the ASB Pledge.
We are delighted to work with Dyfed-Powys Police, who have taken the ASB Pledge, which commits officers and staff to giving victims of antisocial behaviour a voice. It is essential we put victims first.
Dyfed-Powys Police was awarded the ASB Help Pledge after creating a clear process which enables the force and partners to play an active role in resolving entrenched antisocial behaviour.
The pledge helps organisations to create effective policies that make it easier for victims to invoke the ASB Case Review (also known as an ASB case review).
We hope more agencies take the ASB Pledge, so we can ensure victims are put first and Anti-Social Behaviour is resolved as quickly as possible.
Read more about how you can take the ASB Pledge here: https://asbhelp.co.uk/practitioners-hub/the-asb-pledge/
Read more on the ASB Case Review here: https://asbhelp.co.uk/practitioners-hub/asb-case-review-practitioners/
Read the full story here: https://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/news/19203853.dyfed-powys-police-awarded-commitment-victims-antisocial-behaviour/?ref=twtrec
Be part of our ASB Pledge!
Thank you Solihull Community Housing for hosting me this week to talk to you about the PLEDGE. Very encouraging that we have so many partners wanting to take the PLEDGE and work with ASB Help on promoting the voice of victim’s of anti-social behaviour. Particular thanks to Victim Support in Plymouth, Hyde Housing, Sheffield City Council, Leicestershire Police, Stoke City Council and Surrey Police….Be part of this campaign and get in touch with ASB Help today to find out more about how we can help you to deliver the best service to your residents.
You can find out more information on the Pledge here
The First National Voice for Victims of Anti-Social Behaviour
Press Release: The First National Voice for Victims of Anti-Social Behaviour
It’s High Time Victims of Anti-social Behaviour received help to know their rights and get results.
ASB Help has launched what it believes to be the first national charity focused on providing information and advice to victims of anti-social behaviour. Motivated by the tragedy of Fiona Pilkington who in 2007 took her own life and that of her daughter’s after police ignored her 33 pleas for help, ASB Help seeks to provide an impartial voice for vulnerable victims across the country and make sure the new legislation works in their favour.
Baroness Newlove, herself a victim of anti-social behaviour which resulted in the tragic death of her husband, has expressed her delight at the launch of this service acknowledging that “no one should have to suffer its [ASB] consequences in silence but unfortunately there are still so many people doing just that”.
ASB Help reports that although in its early stages it is already receiving evidence of such suffering – over a third of respondents to the charity’s online survey state they have reported the issue more than three times and 76% of respondents state their problem, although reported, has not yet been resolved. In fact, only 6% report a satisfactory resolution to the issue.
“It’s particularly concerning” commented CEO Jenny Herrera, “to see a survey respondent state they believe there is a hate incident against them and yet they either didn’t know they should have gone to the police, or they have and the harassment continues”. ASB Help hopes to guide victims of anti-social behaviour so that they can report it to the right agency in the right way and as the charity grows, provide much needed personal support to those who feel no one’s listening or are suffering in silence.