Rising Voices in Parliament
What was an occasional question about anti-social behaviour is becoming something of a groundswell of voices as more and more MPs express their concerns. Just in the past week or so debates and questions keep on coming and start to bring into the forefront some of the underlying failings. These are:
- the impact of cuts to agencies affecting their response to anti-social behaviour especially the impact of less visible policing
- the removal of funding for diversionary activities and support services, especially youth services but also mental health
- the fact we do not actually have any way to measure how effective the tools and powers from the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act are and how widely they are being used because this information is not measured
- a recognition that the Community Trigger is a thing, and a thing that should be publicised and utilised
The Community Trigger in Parliament
On 7th June there was a written question about how victims can have a greater input into policies and approaches to tackling anti-social behaviour. The Community Trigger and Community Remedy were swiftly cited - but the former is not known about and the latter is rarely mentioned or used by practitioners.
On 10th June there was a specific question about the Community Trigger, its effectiveness and the requirement to publish data. The stock answers came back: there is an ASB Strategic Board which looks at this; statutory guidance was updated; and they are looking at the Victims' Commissioner's report carefully.
We wrote the Community Trigger section of that report. We campaigned to use the launch of the new statutory guidance as an opportunity to promote the Community Trigger (we were ignored and it was quietly published on 24 December 2017). We want to see this made fit for purpose and are delighted to see MPs starting to take note that more needs to be done.
Yet again the Community Trigger was raised in an oral question to the government by Tom Brake, MP, with a call to publicise it more effectively. Disappointingly the response was that MPs had that opportunity in their constituencies - having an opportunity and encouraging them to do it are two very different things. National promotion would set such local promotion in motion but there seems to be no political will to do so.
No Data
I have lost count of how many questions have been asked of the Home Office about data on the new anti-social behaviour powers. There was another, also on the 10th June, into prosecutions for anti-social behaviour in Leigh. That is a generic request, but drill down, and the reality is that no one is keeping a definitive record of the use of the powers set out in the 2014 Act. We have data on breaches, but without knowing how many injunctions or community protection notices were issued in the first place, it is impossible to know how high the breach rate is and therefore impossible to deduce whether the powers have been effective at stopping the anti-social behaviour. It is infuriating that this is accepted as the norm.
It is our opinion that Community Safety Partnerships do have a good idea of number of powers being used in their area and that with a bit of effort, information could be collated, not just for collection's sake but to actually enable the relevant people to make a fair assessment of usage and effectiveness of the powers. Surely this is common sense.
Debates on Particular Areas
The number of debates being secured in the House of Commons or Westminster Hall on the subject of anti-social behaviour are on the rise. After a number of years where it barely got a mention, there has been a steady run of them recently. After one from Hull MP Diana Johnson on 7th February 2019 following on from one from Hull West MP Emma Hardy specifically about anti-social behaviour in Hull and East Riding, held on 9th October 2018, the pace has quickened:
Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour in Stockton South: 14 May 2019
Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour in Small Towns: 5 June 2019
Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour in Slade Road, Birmingham: 11 June 2019
A good reminder that anti-social behaviour can impact anywhere and everywhere. People are genuinely concerned about anti-social behaviour in their towns, on their roads, in their communities and a current focus by the government on knife crime ignores the crucial link between anti-social behaviour and serious crime. It is frustrating to see so little connection made - if funding were made available once more to provide activities for people to draw them away from anti-social behaviour, and to fund the positive requirements of injunctions then there are huge opportunities to reduce not only the level of anti-social behaviour, but the level of serious crime too.
Of particular note, this comment in the debate on small towns, from MP Siobhain McDonagh:
"Mitcham town centre is unfortunately a hotbed of antisocial behaviour in the heart of the suburbs. Unchecked antisocial behaviour is the first step on a very slippery slope to the level of crime that we have heard described in the debate; the gulf between antisocial behaviour and serious crime is not as large as many of us allow ourselves to believe. There are small steps between noise and nuisance, drinking and drunkenness, and inconvenience and illegality."
This too was spot on from MP Richard Burden in the debate about Slade Road:
"I think all of us will recognise the picture that my hon. Friend is painting. The details may be different from area to area, but the overall picture is very recognisable. I put it to him that the problem with the overstretch is affecting the police and other services. It is not simply a matter of numbers; it is the fact that the overstretch is preventing them from intervening early, when it is most necessary. It is interrupting the neighbourhood policing that, if successful, heads off problems before they arrive. The mental health services can work effectively only if they intervene early, but the numbers are not there for them to do that."
It is encouraging to see MPs voicing their concerns and the concerns of their constituents. It is heartening to know that many others realise the issues and raise them forcefully. We hope real momentum for substantive change follows.
Anti-Social Behaviour debate in the House of Commons (7/2/2019):
It is great to see Anti-social behaviour being debated in the House of Commons. It shows that MP’s are taking an interest in the concerns of their constituents and are using their voice to try and bring about change. It was noted that the only thing that is currently mentioned more in Parliament is Brexit, showing that the issue of anti-social behaviour is finally at the forefront of many MP’s agendas.
One particular MP who has been very passionate about improving anti-social behaviour is Diana R.Johnson, the Labour MP for Kingston Upon Hull. She stated that in 2018, it was found that 40% of national respondents think that crime and anti-social behaviour is a problem in their area, which is up from 25% in 2015. In addition to this, the Office for National Statistics found there was a 13% increase in people witnessing or experiencing anti-social behaviour between October 2017-September 2018. This number is worrying and highlights the issue is getting worse rather than improving.
Johnson states that “feeling safe where we live, work and play is important to us all, and anti-social behaviour can make people’s lives miserable”. 950,000 children have experienced some form of crime and anti-social behaviour, with 2.2 million of them worried about this issue. It shows that it is not just adults who experience anti-social behaviour and are worried by it; it is an issue that people of all ages are worried about.
One major point that was mentioned repeatedly in this debate, was the budget cuts implemented on the police force and what that means for victims of anti-social behaviour.
Keith Hunter (the National lead for Police and Crime Commissioners on Anti-Social Behaviour) believes that anti-social behaviour is often the start of more serious criminal behaviour if it is not checked and dealt with early on. He also believes that when the public and police retreat from public spaces, there will always be a section of society who will use that space for their own anti-social purposes. Then, the public become too scared to use the space again, and the bad behaviour is reinforced. One example to support his theory is budget cuts to Humberside Police. Since 2010, the budget of Humberside Police has been cut by 31%, with the Humberside PCC saying that the “services are stretched to breaking point”. This poses the question of how is anti-social behaviour meant to be dealt with effectively, when the police have no resources or funding to do so?
In addition to Humberside Police cuts, in November 2018, Bedfordshire police had to suspend its 101-call service for a few hours due to budget cuts, in order to focus on more serious crime, 999 calls. This results in the anti-social behaviour crimes being ignored, leaving victims frustrated and upset.
Despite national police budget cuts, local police forces are trying to make the best of a bad situation. For example, Humberside police have developed a mobile “cop shop” to move to areas where problems develop and are showing videos in local schools which demonstrate the effects of anti-social behaviour. It is hoped this will educate children and show them the effects of anti-social behaviour. Furthermore, when neighbourhood policing was introduced in Lancashire, one area went from 120 anti-social behaviour incidents a month to 10-15 incidents a month. This is a significant difference and shows just how powerful a police presence in a community can be. Many police forces and MP’s have expressed their frustration at being unable to roll out early intervention schemes to try and prevent anti-social behaviour, as they do not have the resources or funding to do so.
The consensus throughout this debate was that constituents are fed up of constantly flagging up and reporting anti-social behaviour and feeling like nothing is being done. Communities are being destroyed, leaving people upset, frustrated and frightened. This is something we see daily at ASB Help, and we share this frustration. For example, an issue mentioned in Parliament and one we get many e-mails about is neighbour disputes. Hull constituents reported that they must fill in numerous diary sheets as evidence, and then no action is taken. Hull City Council say they need these diary sheets to show a pattern of behaviour, however even then the behaviour may not be serious enough for a conviction, resulting in an eviction of the neighbours causing the behaviour. It can take as long as eight months for eviction, which is added distress for victims.
So, what next? This debate discussed some options of what should be implemented to try and improve the situation. The Government needs to invest more funding into the police, and also local councils. This will result in less police cuts, with more of a focus on Anti-social Behaviour, with more police presence on the street and the funding to carry out early interventions. The re-introduction of ASBO’s was also mentioned by some MP’s, who felt that this gave the police more power to sanction people. It was also suggested the Criminal Justice System should be reviewed, as it should be seen as a progressive system which helps people to get out of this behaviour and change. However, it is felt that is should also be prepared to sanction people who want to continue with this behaviour. Of course, this is a complex issue, with no “one size fits all” solution.
