Anti-social behaviour

What is anti-social behaviour?

Everyone has the right to enjoy their home in peace.

 

From time to time anti-social behaviour can affect our communities and when it does, we take this very seriously.

 

In general terms, anti-social behaviour is any action that can cause nuisance or annoyance.

 

Use the information on this page and our A-Z of anti-social behaviour to help you work out what is and is not anti-social behaviour, what steps you need to take and what we will do to help.

 

Our Good Citizen Guide takes a look through the most common issues we see and gives advice on how to be a good neighbour. To read it click here.

Concerned for your safety or somebody else’s?

 

Non-emergency

call 101

 

Emergencies 

call 999

What we don’t class as anti-social behaviour

We we will always be honest about what we can do and how we will support you to resolve the problem.

 

We appreciate that some behaviours can be upsetting and distressing for you but our powers our limited and we will not investigate the following reports:

 

  • Household noise created by light switches being turned on or off, flushing toilets; doors opening and closing; washing machines, vacuum cleaners or other household appliances
  • People talking at normal volume in their home
  • Babies crying (unless you are reporting a safeguarding concern) and children playing
  • Cooking smells
  • One off parties/BBQs where there is no evidence of a repeat incident
  • Minor personal differences, such as receiving dirty looks or children falling out.

 

For advice on how to try to resolve issues yourself visit our useful information section below.

Our powers in dealing with anti-social behaviour are quite limited but we will always try to help you.

 

We will always be honest about what we can and can’t help with.

How to report anti-social behaviour

The easiest and quickest way to report anti-social behaviour is by using My Account.

 

You can use My Account to:

  • Report anti-social behaviour
  • Send and receive secure messages

 

Login or register now

Concerned for your safety or somebody else’s?

 

Non-emergency

call 101

 

Emergencies 

call 999

Call our Customer Service Centre

 

Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm

 

0300 790 6555

Concerned for your safety or somebody else’s?

 

Non-emergency

call 101

 

Emergencies 

call 999

You may contact us to make reports of anti-social behaviour anonymously, but this may limit the action we can take.

 

All information that people give us will be treated in strict confidence. We will not advise your neighbour that you have made the complaint unless you say we can.

 

Where legal action is being taken, we may need to disclose information to the defendant or their solicitor. Before we take legal action, we will talk to you about this and advise you of the process at every stage.

What happens when I report anti-social behaviour?

If you contact us about anti-social behaviour we will:

  • contact you within five working days, or sooner depending on the seriousness of the incident
  • ask you to give us evidence so that we can assess what we can do considering the type of anti-social behaviour you are reporting. We may ask you to keep a diary of incidents or report incidents to the police and give us the log number
  • listen to you and be honest about what we can do
  • agree an action plan with you and tell you what we can do and what you can do to help to resolve things
  • keep you informed of any progress and ask you to keep in touch with us until the matter is resolved
  • give you support and guidance if you engage with us and help by supplying evidence. If you don’t do this the actions we can take are limited and we may have to close your case
  • treat information in strict confidence.

The Community Trigger gives victims and communities the right to request a case review to examine how local agencies have responded to previous anti-social behaviour complaints and consider whether further action should be taken. To find out more about how the Community Trigger process works visit the Government’s Community Trigger website.

Useful information and contacts

We believe people are happiest and most comfortable when they look out for one another.

 

We lead busy lives and sometimes we can be completely unaware that our actions and behaviour are causing a problem or inconvenience to someone else.

 

We are committed to taking action against anti-social behaviour and our teams work closely with our partners to resolve this.

 

But we often see issues, disagreements and disputes escalate from something relatively minor, which could have been solved with some consideration or a simple conversation.

 

The Good Citizen Guide gives some advice and guidance on how to be a good neighbour and how to avoid ending up in a disagreement with someone else. We’ve focused on the areas we see most issues arise from.

 

Read the Good Citizen Guide here.

In most cases a simple conversation with your neighbour is enough to resolve a problem and stop an issue escalating into a dispute

Sometimes the best way to resolve an issue can be by taking action yourself.

Here are some tips to help you do this:

  • Most people do not realise they are causing a problem. Try talking to the people responsible for causing the problem. Be polite when you are talking to them, try to stay calm and explain things clearly. It is important you and the person reach an agreement. If you manage to do this, thank them for listening and make a note of what has been agreed
  • If you feel you can’t speak to your neighbour you could try writing them a letter using our template
  • Your local council can help with concerns about the level of noise from a neighbouring property or with animal welfare concerns
  • Concerns about the welfare of an adult or child in the household, should always be reported to your local council and/or the police.

We have a template letter to help you write to your neighbour

Download the template

You can find information on how to report a specific issue on our A-Z of anti-social behaviour.

 

To report a crime or threatening behaviour

You can find details of your local police force by visiting the Police.uk website here

For emergencies call 999

For non-emergencies 101

Visit the Crimestoppers website or call 0800 555 111 to report a crime

 

To report an issue like noise nuisance

You can find details of your local council on the Government’s find a council website here

 

To report a hate crime

Visit the national hate crime reporting website here or call the police or Crimestoppers on the details above.

 

For support if you have been a victim

Visit the Victim Support website here or call 08081689111

Customer services