Antisocial behaviour

Antisocial behaviour (ASB) is unacceptable; it can affect communities in different ways and have negative impacts on people’s lives.

What is antisocial behaviour?

Antisocial behaviour is defined as 'behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person.

Some examples of antisocial behaviour include:

• Threatening and abusive behaviour
• Intimidating groups taking over public spaces
• Vandalism and graffiti
• Fly-tipping and dumped rubbish
• Abandoned cars
• Begging
• Antisocial drinking in public places
• Misusing fireworks
• Nuisance neighbours

ASB can be challenging to define and some behaviours (although annoying) are NOT classed as antisocial, including:

• Children simply playing in the street or communal areas - unless they are causing damage to property
• Young people gathering socially - unless they are rowdy, inconsiderate and/or being intimidating
• Being unable to park outside your own home
• DIY and off-road car repairs - unless these are taking place late and night or early in the morning
• Disagreements over boundary walls, fences and parking
• Cooking smells
• Noise from opening and closing cupboards
• Noisy washing machines and toilets being flushed

The role of the council

The Community Safety Team helps to undertake intervention activities in response to known problems, individuals, families or  ‘hotspots’. We aim to identify the relevant support needed and seek long-term solutions. In most cases, we work with the Police and other agencies to address high-risk problem behaviour. 

We liaise with Councillors, MPs, community groups and partners to advise on best practices and ensure that cases are dealt with fairly and effectively through the use of Community MARAC.

A Community MARAC is a process that centres around a multi-agency problem-solving meeting that jointly considers how antisocial behaviour can be investigated and resolved.

It is important you report antisocial behaviour to the correct body (council, housing, Police etc) to ensure the correct response.