Anti Social Behaviour

Anti-social behaviour is any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person's quality of life.

 

This can include:

 

  • Rowdy noisy behaviour
  • vandalism
  • menacing groups
  • drug dealing and associated nuisance
  • aggressive begging
  • on street drinking
  • abandoned, untaxed or nuisance vehicles

 

Find out more about different types of anti-social behaviour

 

If you’re faced with noisy neighbours, or you’ve seen someone littering, drawing graffiti, or committing other acts of anti-social behaviour, don't suffer in silence.

 

Please note that the following cannot normally be dealt with as anti-social behaviour:

 

  • some everyday living neighbour noises (such as from children, raised voices, footsteps, doors being closed etc)
  • neighbour disputes around a fence/boundary/hedge/tree
  • leaseholder/freeholder issues
  • children playing - including ball games (unless causing damage, obstruction or extreme noise).  Please read our advice about ball games in communal areas

 

Reporting Anti Social Behaviour

If you:

 

  • are harassed or victimised
  • feel anti-social behaviour is affecting your quality of life
  • fear for your safety or the safety of others

 

Call our ASB reporting line

  • In an emergency (if a crime is in progress or you think the offenders are near by), call 999
  • For non urgent issues and to pass on information, call Police on 101 (24 hours)
  • To report ongoing antisocial behaviour, and for advice, please call Thanet District Council on 01843 577888 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri) or email community.safety@thanet.gov.uk

 

Write to:

Community Safety Department

Thanet District Council

PO Box 9

Cecil Street

Margate

Kent

CT9 1XZ

 

Who deals with ASB?

Within our unit we have police and council officers who deal solely with anti social behaviour which can help improve your quality of life. We have a range of tools and powers at our disposal to prevent such destructive activity.

 

As a partnership, we work with all our partner agencies to tackle the problems identified. This could include:

 

 

What happens next?

After contacting us, we will get back to you and gather as much evidence as is possible. We will keep you informed every step of the way.

 

All complaints are treated as confidential under the Data Protection Act, so you don't have to worry about your identity being revealed. However you may be required to support a prosecution and write a statement should we need to take legal action. You will be supported through this process every step of the way.

 

What else can you do?

Please give as much detailed information as possible, and if safe to do so, record times dates and descriptions of incidents that have affected you.

 

Keep alert to what is going on around you, speak to other people and see if they are experiencing the same problems. Make a stand together if possible.

 

Speak to your local police community support officer and see if there is a residents group, or Neighbourhood Panel Meeting you could attend or a Neighbourhood watch scheme you could join.

 

You could also speak to your neighbourhood policing team or local police station and file a complaint if you have any concerns of a criminal nature. If the situation is an emergency (if someone's life or health is threatened) call 999.

 

Action we could take

Once you've got your log of information about what’s been happening and you have passed it on to the officer investigating your case, they will look to see what action is able to be taken. This could include some of the following:

 

Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (ABAs)

This is a written agreement between the person who has been causing the problems and their local council or police. These agreements are designed to give those involved the chance to acknowledge their actions, and to take responsibility for the impact they’ve had on others.

 

In some cases, this simple agreement can stop the bad behaviour at an early stage. They explain that the activity must not continue, and explain what will happen if the agreement is broken. They aren’t legally binding, but they can be referred to in court if the behaviour continues.

 

Penalty notices

 

Fixed penalty notices and penalty notices for disorder are one-off fines.

 

  • Fixed penalty notices are generally issued for environmental crimes like littering, graffiti, or noise nuisances.
  • Penalty notices for disorder are issued for more serious offences, like throwing fireworks, selling alcohol to underage buyers, or being drunk and disorderly in public. They can be issued to anyone over 16 years old, and the amount of the fine will depend on the behaviour involved.

 

Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs)

An ASBO is a court order banning anti-social behaviour, or preventing entry into an area where problems have occurred. The rules and restrictions of each ASBO are specific to the crimes involved, and they remain in place for a minimum of two years.

 

ASBOs are not criminal penalties, so they won't appear on a police record. However, not obeying the rules of an ASBO is a crime, and it can result in a fine or imprisonment.

 

Dispersal orders

Groups can be forced to leave an area (disperse) and not return if they are regularly loud, disruptive or destructive.

 

The ‘area’ in question can be anything from the space around a cash point to a whole neighbourhood, or even a local authority region. As long as there is strong evidence that those involved have been destructive and intimidating.

 

If a dispersal order is issued, the local authority must agree to it and the decision must be published in a local newspaper or in notices posted in the area. After that, if an officer gives a group a direction to leave an area it can be for any period of time not exceeding 24 hours.

 

For more information on current tools and powers available or crime prevention advice, visit the Home office website. 

 

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