Anti-social behaviour

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a broad term which covers a range of issues and behaviour’s that can affect quality of life and over time make people’s lives a misery.

Anyone can be a victim of anti-social behaviour regardless of age, race or gender.

This can include for example:

• Verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation or threatening behaviour
• Noisy or abusive neighbours
• Litter, rubbish or fly tipping
• Drug use or dealing
• Alcohol related nuisance
• Vandalism and graffiti
• Pets and animal nuisance
• Street drinking and begging
• Vehicle nuisance

What is not anti-social behaviour?

What is considered anti-social will vary from victim to victim, but generally behaviour which results from different lifestyles or would not be considered unreasonable by most people would not be classed as ASB.

For example:

• Children playing in the street or communal areas
• Young people gathering socially (unless they are being intimidating)
• Being unable to park outside your own home
• Civil disputes between neighbours e.g. shared driveways
• One off parties or celebrations at reasonable times
• DIY or car repairs unless at unreasonable times

How to report anti-social behaviour

If ASB is affecting you, your family or someone you know please report this to the police in the first instance.

When you report ASB you will be asked questions about what happened, when and where it happened and by whom. This information will be used to decide whether the matter is personal, environmental or nuisance anti-social behaviour and who is the best agency to help you.

In emergencies

In an emergency always call 999 or textphone 18000.

In non-emergencies

For non-emergency situations you can call 101 or text phone 18001 101.

Please report these incidents to your local Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Contact the Council’s Community Safety ASB team

The Council’s Community Safety ASB team are able to assist you by:

• Putting you in touch with other Council departments or organisations that can help with your particular problem for example issues with noise, litter or graffiti 
• Referring you to Victim Support
• Manage the Community Trigger Process; as part of this they can explain the process and complete an application on your behalf
• Coordinate a partnership approach to address ongoing ASB issues

They can be emailed at [email protected]

The Community Safety ASB team work from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and all calls will be monitored during these hours.

Victim Support

 

• Email: [email protected]
• Call: 020 7259 2424 (Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm)
• Support Line (operating 24/7): 0808 168 9111
• Add 18001 before number if deaf or hard of hearing and interpretation service also available

Environmental crime

 

To report noise nuisance

• Call: 020 7361 3002
• Email: [email protected]

To report litter, fly-tipping or graffiti or abandoned vehicles:

• Call: 020 7361 3001
• Email: [email protected]

Hate Crime

Hate incidents and hate crimes are acts where the offender has chosen a victim specifically because of the type of person they think they are, or perceive them to be. This could be because of disability, race or ethnicity, faith, religion or belief, sexual orientation and Transgender identity.

A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.

Hate crime includes physical and verbal attacks, vandalism and graffiti, cyberbullying, abusive text messaging and hate mail, offensive signs or gestures, threatening behaviour. These incidents can be committed against a person or property.

Hate crime is against the law. You do not have to tolerate hate crime and reporting any incident, no matter how minor can make a difference.

By reporting these incidents, you may be able to prevent them from happening again. You will also help the police understand the extent of hate crime in your local area so they can better respond to it.

How to report a hate crime

 

There are several ways you can report a hate crime, whether you have been a victim or a witness. You can also report a hate crime on behalf of someone else.

In an emergency

• Call the police on 999

If you are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, a text phone is available:

• In an emergency, text 18000
• Non-emergency, text 18001 101

Remember when speaking to the police you can speak in confidence, by giving as much information as possible you are ensuring that they can investigate fully and have the ability to prosecute the offender(s) where possible.

Report online

Visit the Met Police website to report hate crime.

Crimestoppers

If you do not want to talk to the police, you can still report hate crime to Crimestoppers who can be contacted anonymously by phone on 0800 555 111 or visit the Crimestoppers website.

Controlled drinking zone

Since June 2009 there has been a borough wide designated Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in operation to tackle antisocial behaviour and crime.

The Controlled Drinking Zone, as it is commonly known, came into force in response to an on-going problem with street drinkers gathering in parts of the borough and causing antisocial behaviour.

Anyone who refuses to stop drinking alcohol in public or hand over their alcohol when asked, faces a fine.

It is a discretional power used by police officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), and Community Wardens that is not intended to affect residents or visitors who like to enjoy a social drink or picnic in the park.

Police and the Council continue to work with local shops and businesses to deter them from selling alcohol to known street drinkers, as well as offering outreach help and support for the boroughs most entrenched street drinkers.

For more information contact Kensington and Chelsea’s Community Safety Team
Email [email protected]

Remember for all police emergencies call 999

Community Triggers

Antisocial behaviour is any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person’s quality of life. The Community Trigger allows you to report persistent antisocial behaviour.

Use the Community Trigger if you have reported antisocial behaviour to the Council, Police and / or a registered housing provider (social landlord) three times about separate incidents in the last six months (with the most recent incident having occurred in the last month).

Complete a Community Trigger form

The Community Trigger cannot be used to report general acts of crime, including hate crime. It does not replace the complaints procedures of individual organisations, or your opportunity to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman or the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

You will need to give details of each time you’ve reported the antisocial behaviour including:

• the organisation you reported it to
• the name of person you spoke to
• an Incident Reference Number (if applicable)
• date reported
• information about the incident

If you need help completing this form, please contact the Community Safety Team on the telephone number below.

To use the Community Trigger you can also write to us or call us:

Community Safety Team
Kensington Town Hall
Hornton Street
London W8 7NX

Tel: 020 7361 3000

Once you have asked for a Community Trigger, the Council will ask the agencies involved to provide details of your complaints and actions that they have considered and taken. These agencies will review the response you have received and make recommendations on how the problem can be resolved.

You will receive acknowledgement from the Council within two working days. Within ten working days the case will be reviewed by a panel of professionals from multiple agencies. Then within twelve working days you'll be informed of the outcome and a proposed action plan if applicable.

Anti-social behaviour powers

The Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 replaced the previous 19 powers that dealt with antisocial behaviour with six broader powers. These new procedures allow a quicker response to antisocial behaviour.

Many of the new tools and powers can be used by both local authorities and police, while others may be available to only the police or the Council.

Criminal Behaviour Orders

 

Issued by the courts after conviction. The order will ban an individual from certain activities or places and require them to address their behaviour for example attending drug treatment programmes. A breach would see an individual face a maximum five-year prison term.

Crime Prevention Injunctions

 

Designed to nip bad behaviour in the bud before it escalates. The injunction would carry a civil burden of proof, making it quicker and easier to obtain than previous tools. For adults, breaches of the injunction may result in a fine or imprisonment. For under-18s a breach could be dealt with through curfews, supervision or detention.

Community Protection Orders

 

One order for local authorities to stop persistent environmental antisocial behaviour like graffiti, neighbour noise or dog fouling; and another for police and local authorities to deal with more serious disorder and criminality in a specific place such as closing a property used for drug dealing.

Police 'Direction' powers

 

A power to direct any individual causing or likely to cause crime or disorder away from a particular place and to confiscate related items.

Public Spaces Protection Orders

 

These provide local authorities with a flexible power to put in place local restrictions to address a range of antisocial behaviour issues in public places, and prevent future problems. They are intended to deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a particular area that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area which apply to everyone.

Closure powers

 

These provide the police or local authority with new, simpler, closure powers, consolidating four of the measures already available to them. This would make it easier to issue a notice temporarily to close any property, for up to 48 hours if there is, or is likely to be, a public nuisance. The police or local authority could then apply to the magistrates’ court if they wished to extend this beyond 48 hours if the antisocial behaviour was persistent or serious. The maximum length of a closure order would be six months.