Devon & Cornwall Police News site

Devon & Cornwall Police has joined a national campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB).

ASB Awareness Week 2022 encourages communities to take a stand against ASB and highlight the actions that can be taken by those experiencing it. 

Organised by Resolve, an ASB and community safety organisation, the week brings together councils, police forces, housing associations, charities, community groups and sports clubs to show that tackling ASB is truly a multi-agency effort.

Recent YouGov research commissioned by Resolve found that more than half of people (56%) believe that ‘more needs to be done’ to tackle ASB in their community. However, after they witnessed or experienced ASB, a similar proportion of the public (57%) said that they did not report it to anyone.

No single organisation can tackle ASB properly alone. It is only through strong local partnerships that all agencies have the best chance of making a lasting and meaningful difference to the underlying causes of ASB.

Incidents of ASB include hate crime, continuous noise or parties, vandalism, misuse of communal areas or public spaces, criminal behaviour, alcohol related disturbances, nuisance vehicle noise, verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation, or threating behaviour. ASB can range from something that is a mild annoyance to something that causes real fear and insecurity. This has an impact on peoples’ quality of life and how safe they feel.

ASB is not limited to urban areas. This summer, the Rural Affairs team is working alongside Natural England to bring awareness of the Countryside Code to communities and visitors to Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly. The public are urged to respect the countryside and protect wildlife, the environment, rural businesses, and open spaces.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Nye said: “We are supporting ASB Awareness Week because we have seen the impact ASB can have on people’s lives. Tackling ASB is a priority for the Force and we are working hard to make sure that people understand what ASB is and who it should be reported to.”

Devon and Cornwall have one of the lowest crime rates in the country. There is usually an increase in ASB reports during the summer but there was a reduction in the number of incidents last year after a busy 2020.

Tackling ASB is one of four priorities in Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez’s Police and Crime Plan.

She said: “ASB affects far too many people in our force area. When we speak to the people we serve about the issues they want more resources to tackle, it is one of their top concerns. Left unchecked it can lead to community tensions and have a significant impact on people’s health, wellbeing and their daily quality of life. It’s why I’m establishing a victim support service specifically for ASB to ensure no-one suffers in silence and is supported appropriately to make their voice heard.

“That is why my team has worked tirelessly to secure many hundreds of thousands of pounds of central Government funding to work on solutions to ASB and will continue to focus on the causes of this problem and invest in solutions to it.”

Devon & Cornwall Police is encouraging people to take the ‘anti’ out of anti-social and consider the impact that their behaviour has on other people. Throughout the summer, information will be shared about different types of anti-social behaviour to make sure people understand what ASB is and which organisation it should be reported to.

Alison continued: “The police, local authorities, other agencies and our communities must work together more effectively to find solutions and stop persistent and severe ASB from blighting our communities. One option that few people are aware of is the community trigger. If you’ve experienced more than two occasions of ASB in a six-month period you can ask for help from either the police or council and they must review your case together and with involved partners.”

For more information about ASB Awareness Week visit www.resolveuk.org.uk/asbawarenessweek.

ENDS