Council and its partners highlighting anti-social behaviour support
With Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week taking place (3-9 July), Wiltshire Council is encouraging communities to know how to report issues that take place in their local area
Figures show that more than 15% of victims of ASB did not know how to report it or where they could turn to for help (according to results from YouGov research, commissioned in 2022 by Resolve looking at ASB and Community Safety).
One of the key focuses for the council's Anti-Social Behaviour and Community Safety team, in partnership with Wiltshire Police, is to raise awareness of what ASB is, how and who to report it to and what people should do if they don't think their issue has been dealt with fully.
ASB is defined as behaving in a manner that 'caused or is likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to one or more persons not of the same household'.
This may include:
- harassment/ intimidation
- verbal abuse (including shouting and swearing)
- substance misuse associated behaviour
- vehicle related nuisance (such as car park related issues).
But does not include:
- children playing (in public or private spaces)
- people gathering socially
- parking issues (will be referred to parking services)
- DIY and car repairs (unless undertaken repeatedly and at unsocial hours)
- civil disputes between neighbours (including shared driveways, CCTV usage and coverage and boundary issues)
- one-off complaints such as parties
- everyday household activities and or noise. For example, reasonable use of household appliances, noise from footsteps from general moving around within the property.
Cllr Nick Holder, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said: Anti-social behaviour can ruin people's lives. We are working with our partners to try to prevent these issues from happening by getting to the root causes, and also supporting people as much as we can to ensure they know that help is available should they need it.
We want Wiltshire to be a place where we are safe, and it is in the main, but unfortunately anti-social behaviour is still taking place so we must all work together, take responsibility, and try and change things for the better.
Wiltshire Police Superintendent Liz Coles commented: We are urging members of the public not to suffer in silence if they experience anti-social behaviour. We are committed to keeping Wiltshire safe and giving it the priority it deserves so that people feel safe in their homes and when out and about.
People may consider loud noises from their neighbours, groups of youths or even comments made on social media as anti-social behaviour but in reality, the law defines it as 'conduct that is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, or cause nuisance or annoyance'. It includes behaviour such as graffiti, drug taking or dealing, drunken behaviour, or being abusive or aggressive.
Incidents can be reported to the anti-social behaviour team at our local Council, or directly to us if people feel that they are at immediate risk or in danger.
But support doesn't end there, if you've been a victim of persistent ASB but you don't feel the response hasn't been satisfactory, you can have it reviewed using the ASB Case Review tool, also known the Community Trigger.
Resolve is working with Wiltshire Council and partner agencies to host two online workshops called Bystander Intervention Training on 10 and 18 July. The sessions will focus on what ASB is, and how ASB practitioners such as police and local authorities can deal with it. The event is the latest in the area to use the government's Safer Streets Funding, which allows local areas to choose, within the criteria, how they want to spend money to improve safety in their area. More information can be found at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/news/online-anti-social-behaviour-sessions-in-devizes-this-july.
Information on how and where to report ASB in Wiltshire can be found at www.wiltshiresvpp.org.uk/p/community-safety/anti-social-behaviour-1 (opens new window)
If a person or someone they know is being impacted by ASB which is ongoing then they should please contact asb@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) with their full details, the property being complained about and as much detail as possible about the issue.
Further details about Anti-Social Behaviour Week can be found at www.resolveuk.org.uk/asb-awareness-week/about-asb-awareness-week (opens new window).