Anti-social behaviour

Definition and our approach

The UK government definition of ASB is:

(a) conduct that has caused, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person,

(b) conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises,

(c) conduct capable of causing housing-related nuisance or annoyance to any person.

Examples of ASB include, but are not limited to;

Violence or threats of violence

Verbal abuse

Hate crime and harassment

Domestic abuse

Possession, selling or cultivating illegal drugs

Noise nuisance

Damage to property

Nuisance from vehicles

Criminal activity at a WHA property

We believe everybody has a right to enjoy their home and to live safely and peacefully. We are committed to working with communities to tackle ASB and neighbour nuisance.

Where anti-social behaviour does occur we will treat it seriously and seek to resolve matters as quickly and effectively as possible. If such behaviour is of a more serious nature we will take strong action to end it including injunctions and eviction proceedings.

A complaint about anti-social behaviour can be made verbally or in writing (e.g. in person at the office during office hours, via phone call, letter, email, tenants portal or text). Each complainant will have access to a named officer, will be kept informed about the progress of their case and will play a role in determining any action to be taken.

The Association recognises that it is important to deal with matters in a sensitive manner that encourages complainants to feel confident about how the matter will be progressed. We will consider the support needs of complainants, including the possible involvement of external agencies.

Association staff will stress the importance of a conciliatory rather than a confrontational approach wherever possible. It is important that all tenants and residents recognise their responsibility not to cause anti-social behaviour and also not to behave in a way that aggravates matters. In more minor cases, and where appropriate, we expect residents to try and resolve matters between themselves, before contacting the Association.

Prevention

Prevention is an essential part of our approach to anti-social behaviour and we encourage early action to prevent issues from escalating. In that respect, it is the Association’s belief that the promotion of early dialogue between the complainant and the perpetrator is often the best way forward initially.

Measures that assist us in prevention include:

• Early interviews and interventions
• Mediation
• Acceptable Behaviour Contracts
• Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.
• Working in partnership with other agencies to review issues, including identifying  measures that prevent ASB happening
• ASB app

Community Trigger

The Community Trigger forms part of the ‘Response to Complaints’ section of the ASB Crime and Policing Act 2014 and enables victims to request agencies to carry out a review of their response to the anti-social behaviour they reported where they feel they did not get a satisfactory response.  

If a person has made a complaint about anti-social behaviour in a particular Local Authority area, the relevant bodies in that area must carry out a review if:

a) that person, or any other person, makes an application for such a review (activates the Community Trigger); and

b) the relevant bodies decide that the threshold for a review is met.

Each Local Authority area sets its own threshold but the most common threshold is likely to be if someone has complained 3 times in a 6 month period and nothing has been done.  The review will focus either on the ongoing anti-social behaviour about which the original complaint was made or on the adequacy of the response to that behaviour.  

The relevant bodies who carry out the review must inform the applicant of the outcome of the review and any recommendations made.  

Each Local Authority must specify the point of contact for activating the Community Trigger and ensure that applications made to that point of contact are passed on to all the relevant bodies in the local government area.

If you wish to raise a Community Trigger please contact your Local Authority.