Anti-social behaviour

What is anti-social behaviour?

The overall definition which the CSP will apply in addressing anti-social behaviour is the definition contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which is:

"Acting in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household".

The CSP has identified categories of anti-social behaviour which are having a detrimental impact on the local population and therefore require tackling. These include:

• Harassment
• Threats
• Verbal abuse
• Noisy neighbours
• Public drunkeness and disorder 
• Abandoned cars
• Vehicle related nuisance
• Inappropriate play
• Deliberate fires
• Flytipping
• Flyposting
• Littering
• Dog fouling
• Graffiti
• Vandalism  

The CSP is currently updating its ASB policy and when finalised this will be available to download on the website.

How is the CSP tackling anti-social behaviour?

The Borough Council employs an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer. The Anti-Social Behaviour Officer deals with cases of anti-social behaviour in the borough and works alongside the CSP. Incidents of anti-social behaviour could involve threatening behaviour, problem families, groups of youths gathering etc. The Anti-Social Behaviour Officer will visit victims and gather evidence of the anti-social behaviour being committed. She will then work with other agencies, including Social Services, the Police, Housing Associations, Youth Service and the Youth Offending Team to tackle the problems. She will visit offenders to speak to them about their behaviour. If these interventions do not stop the problem, then the case is referred to the ASB Task Group of the CSP. Membership of the ASB Task Group comprises of the Police, Social Services, Housing Associations, Education and other borough council Services. The ASB Task Group will look at the case and decide on the most appropriate action which may involve offenders signing Acceptable Behaviour Agreements, or applications for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO). At present, there are no ASBOs in effect in the borough.

See the Glossary of Terms for definitions of terms relating to anti-social behaviour.

If you have an anti-social behaviour issue to report then please call the Anti-Social Behaviour Officer on 01732 876149 or use the incident reporting form on the website.

 

Anti-social behaviour minimum standards

The Home Secretary has announced that by the end of March 2010 he expects to see all local areas delivering a minimum set of standards and that these should include:

• Reducing perceptions of ASB year on year;
• Regular updates for every community on what is being done to tackle anti-social behaviour - including an expectation to publicise ASBOs to the local community;
• Provide residents with a right of complaint to Community Safety Partnerships if effective action is not taken by local agencies through existing channels;
• Support and help for victims of ASB;
• Taking reports of ASB seriously by recording and investigating all cases and committing to keeping victims informed of action taken; and
• Ensuring better links between neighbourhood policing and other local partners to deal swiftly with problems.

 

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has produced a set of minimum standards to show how it will deal with ASB. Over the next six months, the Tonbridge and Malling Community Safety Partnership intends to review how it tackles anti-social behaviour in order to develop a set of minimum standards for the CSP as a whole.

If you have any queries about these minimum standards please contact the Community Safety Partnership on 01732 876132.

 

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Last updated: 26/07/10 at 10:18:50 Office use only: 9/2011-07-25