What is Anti-Social Behaviour?
The term Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) covers a wide range of unacceptable activities that have a negative impact on the community, often leaving victims feeling helpless and reducing their quality of life.
Anti -social behaviour is defined as “behaviour that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress”. Examples can include:
- Nuisance associated with the selling of drugs or drug substance misuse
- Acts of harassment
- Racist behaviour, language or graffiti
- Acts or threats of discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, ethnic origin, illness or disability
- Using or threatening to use violence
- Writing or displaying graffiti or literature that is threatening, abusive or insulting
- Sending communication that is threatening, abusive, racist or insulting
Read our Anti Social Behaviour Policy here.
Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 introduces a number of measures to protect communities from the serious harm caused by anti-social behaviour are covered within this act. These are:
- Criminal behaviour order: can be issued by the courts after a person has been convicted for a criminal offence. Under the order, a person who has been convicted would be banned from certain activities or places, and would also be required to address their behaviour, for example by attending a drug treatment programme. A breach could see an adult face up to five years in prison.
- Police dispersal power allows the police to disperse anti-social individuals and provide short-term respite to a local community. The power is preventative and allows an officer to deal instantly with someone’s behaviour in a particular place and to confiscate related items.
- Community protection notice’s enables local authorities and police to stop persistent environmental anti-social behaviour, like graffiti, neighbour noise or rubbish on private land.
- Public space protection orders is a power which allows a local council to deal with a particular nuisance or problem that is detrimental to the local community’s quality of life by imposing universal conditions on the use of that area. This can be used to tackle issues like dog fouling and restricting the consumption of alcohol.
- Closure powers allow the police or local council to close premises where anti-social behaviour has been committed, or was likely to be committed.
- Absolute ground for possession speeds up the possession process in cases where a tenant, anyone residing at the address, or a visitor to the premises has been convicted of a serious criminal offence and that offence took place in the dwelling or in the locality. This power provides a victim-centred approach and provides an alternative route to possession while reducing the burden on victims so that they don’t have to give evidence twice. It has already proved that it reduces heavy costs and unreasonable waiting times, ensuring the most serious of cases are permanently resolved. It speeds up the possession process in cases where one or more of the following 5 triggers have been met:-
- Serious Offence (criminal conviction)
- Breach of an ASB Injunction
- Breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order
- Closure of Premises
- Breach of a Noise Abatement Notice/Order
- ASB Injunctions are aimed at preventing individuals from engaging in anti-social behaviour, nipping the activity in the bud before it escalates. ASB Injunctions have prohibitions attached, preventing that person from engaging in a specified conduct. Some may include requirements aimed at addressing underlying causes of an individuals behaviour, such as attending drug or alcohol treatment. While a breach of an injunction is not a criminal offence, it can carry an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison for an adult.
Giving victims a say
The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 also includes measures designed to give victims and communities a say in the way anti-social behaviour is dealt with using ASB Case Review processes.
Recording ASB incidents
MKCC encourage all residents who wish to complain about persistent ASB to complete an Incident Diary. Once completed, you can then submit the Incident Diary to us, either by post or by email.
Recording incidents is an important part of the process so we can quickly establish key aspects of the issues you are experiencing, including:
• the pattern of behaviour
• what happened and when
• who was involved
• how it made you feel
In some high risk cases, you may be asked to report matters in a different way, such as directly to your allocated ASB Officer or to Thames Valley Police (where an emergency response is required). Your ASB Officer will advise you whether you need to complete an Incident Diary or not.
You should complete and return your Incident Diary every 14 days or sooner if there has been a spate of incidents. Details of how to return your Diaries are contained on the Incident Diary form.
Are you being affected by neighbour nuisance?
In many cases, residents who are causing a nuisance, such as noise, are not aware that their behaviour is affecting others. Milton Keynes City Council therefore encourages residents to approach their neighbour in the first instance to let them know of the nuisance they are causing. You can download a Dear Neighbour card, which you can complete and deliver to your neighbour.
Application for an Injunction Order
In response to long-term and serious anti-social behaviour in Central Milton Keynes, the council has applied to the County Court for an Injunction Order (against Persons Unknown) under Section 222 of the Local Government Act 1972. The Order, if granted, will increase policing and local authority powers to tackle Anti-social Behaviour in the Silbury Boulevard, North Ninth Street and North Tenth Street area of Central Milton Keynes.
Map of the area covered under the injunction application
The hearing has been listed for 27 June 2023.
If you would like a copy of the Application, please email Craig.Freeman@milton-keynes.gov.uk