What is anti-social behaviour?
The term anti-social behaviour covers a wide range of selfish
and unacceptable activity that can blight the quality of community
life. Terms such as ‘nuisance’, ‘disorder’ and ‘harassment’ are
also used to describe some of this behaviour.
Examples include:
· Nuisance neighbours
· Yobbish behaviour and intimidating groups taking over public
spaces
· Vandalism, graffiti and fly-posting
· People dealing and buying drugs on the street
· People dumping rubbish and abandoned cars
· Begging and anti-social drinking
· The misuse of fireworks
· Reckless driving of mini-motorbikes.
A legal definition of anti-social behaviour is found in the
Crime and Disorder Act 1988. The Act describes anti-social
behaviour as 'acting in an anti-social manner as a manner that
caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one
or more persons not of the same household as the complainant'.
Tackling ASB is about recognising the impact that the behaviour
has on victims and the community, as well as looking at the factors
that cause such behaviour. All agencies involved in tackling
ASB must adopt an approach that recognises and validates the
genuine fear of local people. It is crucial to consult with members
of the community and young people, as well as key local agencies,
to establish clear criteria for what constitutes ASB and how it
should be dealt with.
From April 2004 – March 2007 Suffolk was working towards two
anti-social behaviour targets, both of which were adopted by all 5
Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs). LPSA2 a Public Service
Agreement target to reduce the number of recorded incidents of
anti-social behaviour by 5 per cent across Suffolk by 2008; and a
Local Area Agreement target to reduce the number of people who
perceive anti-social behaviour as a problem. Recently Suffolk has
perfomed very well in reducing the number of people percieving ASB
as a problem with some of the lowest perception scores nationally.
Final results against the target will be known in September
2008.
For more information about ASB please
click here