You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Are we failing victims of anti-social behaviour?
A survey has found that anti-social behaviour is driving one in seven to move home. Rebecca Bryant considers what this says about the state of play
We commissioned YouGov research, which found that one in seven people have made the painful decision to consider moving home because of the impact anti-social behaviour (ASB) was having on them.
This revelation is not entirely surprising. By our estimates, there could have been more than five million incidents of ASB last year in the UK.
There were more than the 1.7 million incidents of ASB recorded by the police, and likely just as many – if not more – reported to local authorities and housing associations.
Our research also shows over half of the victims or witnesses of ASB did not make a report at all, largely because they didn’t think anything would be done, or because they did not know where or how to report the anti-social behaviour.
READ MORE
It is truly shocking that so many people have had to consider such a significant and life-changing decision as moving home. It highlights just how devastatingly persistent anti-social behaviour can be for victims and communities.
But how does it get to that stage in the first place? How is persistent ASB allowed to continue while wreaking havoc in the lives of its victims?
We know that over half of victims or witnesses don’t report ASB but, sadly, the research also shows that 55% of respondents who reported ASB to their landlord said they were dissatisfied with the response. This does not bode well for social landlords, with the Regulator of Social Housing’s new Tenant Satisfaction Measures coming into force in April.
Social landlords will be required to report on how satisfied tenants and residents are with their handling of complaints and reports of ASB, and the Regulator of Social Housing will have certain standards it expects landlords to meet when it comes to complaint-handling.
What can victims do if they are dissatisfied with the handling of their ASB complaint?
The ‘community trigger’, sometimes called the ‘ASB case review’, was a mechanism introduced in 2014 which, when activated, brings the relevant agencies together to commit to a plan that will put an end to persistent, repeat anti-social behaviour.
It is a fundamental right and can be an extremely helpful lifeline for victims who have been suffering from ongoing ASB. It applies to those who have made three or more reports and are unhappy with the response – or lack thereof – by the police, local authority or housing association.
Unfortunately, nine years after its introduction, only 2% of people fully understand and know how to activate the community trigger. So, there is a lot of work to be done around educating the public of their rights as a victim of ASB.
There is much progress needed to improve the rights of victims of anti-social behaviour. We know about the harm that ASB causes and how it can devastate the lives of victims, therefore we strongly believe that anti-social behaviour must be included in the Victims Bill.
As noted by Dame Vera Baird, former Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, despite the extreme harm ASB can cause, “victims of ASB are often treated as second-class victims, unable to access the support and resolution that victims of crime can”.
She said the Victims Bill must acknowledge the pernicious harm that ASB creates and deliver repeat victims with the same rights that a victim of crime can expect.
ASB Awareness Week 2023 will take place between 3 to 9 July. We hope you will get involved and join us in taking a stand against anti-social behaviour.
Rebecca Bryant, chief executive, Resolve
