Anti Social Behaviour
Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) is defined as anything which reduces the quality of people's life by causing them alarm, harassment or distress.
In reality, this will mean different things to different people. People both young and old can behave anti-socially, creating havoc for those around them. This could be:
- Alcohol Misuse
- Drug Taking and Dealing
- Neighbour Nuisance and Noise
- Threatening and Rowdy Behaviour
This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and unwelcome in Thurrock and is a top priority for us. We are totally committed to working with the community, to take tough action to stamp out ASB committed by a small number of individuals and families.
- Minimum Standards of response for Victims and Witnesses of Anti-Social Behaviour
- Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour
- Got Questions?
- Motorcycle Nuisance
- For More Information
Minimum Standards of response for Victims and Witnesses of Anti-Social Behaviour
What we will do:
As part of our continued commitment to address Anti-social Behaviour and the perceptions of Anti-social Behaviour in your area, in partnership we will:
- Work to ensure reporting Anti-social Behaviour is as easy as possible.
- Take all reports seriously, by recording and investigating all cases, and keep victims informed of action taken.
- Ensure that all victims and witnesses are treated fairly, with dignity and respect; listen to victims and provide ongoing support where appropriate, particularly to those victims considered vulnerable.
- Provide practical support in partnership with victim support agencies to address victim’s needs.
- Share relevant information and intelligence on Anti-social Behaviour with partners; analyse information to identify repeat victimisation, known perpetrators and effected parties and respond speedily to such intelligence.
- Tell the public what we are doing to tackle Anti-social Behaviour so they have the confidence to report issues, offer the community feedback through community forums and encourage residents to play their part to reduce Anti-social Behaviour.
- Ensure that the Thurrock Community Safety Partnership provides suitable routes via which communities or individuals can raise concerns where it is considered that Anti-social Behaviour is not being tackled positively.
- Through education and early intervention, work to reduce Anti-social Behaviour and the perception that Anti-social Behaviour is a problem in our communities.
- Respond in a timely manner to reports of breaches of Anti-social Behaviour enforcement measures.
How we will do it:
In order to deliver these minimum standards locally, and to confirm how seriously Thurrock Council takes reports of Anti-social Behaviour, we will undertake the following specific actions:
- Staff will acknowledge and record your initial contact within one working day of it being reported to the Council, supplying you with a reference number for the case;
- We undertake to keep your details and any information you give us confidential and in accordance with legal requirements, unless you give us permission to use them in the course of any Criminal or Civil action that is decided upon. However, due to the nature of some cases it may not always be possible to preserve the anonymity of victims.
- We will allocate a Council Officer to conduct a full investigation into your allegations. You will be given the contact details for that officer and he or she will be responsible for keeping in contact with you on a regular basis and at least once a fortnight, to update you on progress of the investigation and any subsequent actions or proceedings;
- To keep communication as easy as possible, you will be offered a choice of contact methods, such as personal visits (at an agreed location if appropriate), telephone calls, e-mails, texts or letters;
- The Officer will discuss with you what realistic outcomes you would like to have or are expecting and what options are open to us to deal with your case in order to help deliver these outcomes;
- At this early stage the Officer will undertake and record an initial risk assessment with you. We will provide appropriate support throughout the case working with our partners and other service providers where required;
- Where appropriate he/she will offer you the use of either incident report books, or other method(s) to record details of further incidents. Once any evidence of anti-social behaviour has been gathered a decision on any further action will be taken, which may include preventative or enforcement action;
- The Officer will then explain to you what further action is to be taken, if any, and the reasons why;
- At the end of the case, we will seek your views on how well it has been handled and if the outcome has met those expectations you had following initial discussions with the officer.
Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with the way an Anti-social Behaviour case has been dealt with you can lodge a complaint with:
- Essex Police: either in person at any police station; or by phone on 0300 333 4444; or online at the Essex Police website www.essex.police.uk.
- Thurrock Council: through its Complaints Coordinator, on 01375 652500; or by phone to the complaints service on 0845 3005263 or by e-mail to complaints@thurrock.gov.uk; or using our online forms at www.thurrock.gov.uk/contact.
Leaflet
A leaflet which summarises the minimum standards of response for victims and witnesses of anti-social behaviour is available (please see how to access PDFs):
Reporting ASB
If you are suffering from or a witness to ASB you can report this:
- To the Police on 0300 333 4444; or in an emergency only by dialling 999.
- To Thurrock Council by ringing 01375 652211, by e-mail to knockknock@thurrock.gov.uk.
- At your local housing office either by phone or in person.
- Through Thurrock Council Switchboard on 01375 652652.
Motorcycle Nuisance
This Leaflet gives details of the legal requirements of owning a motorcycle, using it on roads, other public places and on private land (see how to access PDFs):
Got questions?
If ASB is affecting your quality of life, or you would like advice or support, contact us in confidence on: 01375 652211
For more information you can visit:
Thurrock Council also provides a Statement of Policies and Procedures on Anti-Social Behaviour for Council Tenants.
Remember
If your safety is at risk and you need immediate assistance -
Dial 999 and ask for the police
