APCC Joint Local Policing Lead: How PCCs are driving action against anti-social behaviour
By Chris Nelson, APCC Joint Lead on Local Policing and Gloucestershire PCC
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a significant public concern in England and Wales. As shown in YouGov research conducted for Resolve, more than one in four people feel unsafe where they live, with 11% experiencing ASB at least weekly, and 14% saying it has affected their mental health. These statistics will come as no surprise to many, but they illustrate the unacceptable level of ASB being experienced across the country.
People and communities shouldn’t have to live being subjected to verbal abuse and intimidation, the impact of drug dealers, alcoholics and illegal vehicle use on their streets, their neighbourhoods damaged by vandalism and fly-tipping, or their lives made a misery by vehicle-related nuisance.
It is often undesirable behaviour from just a small number of people that has a hugely disproportionate impact on an area. ASB is often described as relatively ‘low-level’, but try telling that to the person who, day in, day out, is harassed to the point they feel unsafe whenever they leave home, or to the family regularly kept awake into the early hours by noisy neighbours.
And, of course, we know that ASB can be a gateway to other criminality. It is imperative we get a grip on it, and policing – while it cannot solve it alone – has a major role to play in that.
Elected to give voice to the public’s concerns about crime and policing and to drive change that improves people’s lives, police and crime commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales and their deputy mayor equivalents in combined authority areas, know how important tackling ASB is to our local communities – because they tell us so.
It is a touchstone issue for many, and we are committed to stamping it out. Every PCC publishes a police and crime plan which sets out the priorities for our local force, and it is against this that we hold the chief constable to account, including on their response to ASB.
In my area, Gloucestershire, I have made improving trust and confidence in our constabulary a key priority in my plan, recognising the importance of tackling ASB in our communities.
Almost a year ago, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published a report into the policing response to anti-social behaviour. I and my co-lead on local policing at the Association for Police and Crime Commissioners, Cleveland PCC Matt Storey, were pleased to see the report cited good examples of police forces working with partner organisations to address ASB.
But it also found that the use of early intervention and problem-solving by forces was inconsistent and that most needed to improve their recording of incidents along with their use of statutory powers available to them.
If we are to get on top of this problem, chief constables must ensure their officers and staff are equipped with the tools and skills to do their job.
Creating safer communities
The Government has recognised the need to target ASB. As part of its Safer Streets mission, it has pledged the public will see 13,000 additional police officers, police community support officers and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles across England and Wales by 2029. The first 3,000 of these should be in place by the end of next March, out on the streets building relationships and trust in their communities.
I very much look forward to the implementation of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, a visible reassurance to the public and a deterrent to those who might otherwise feel confident to go on repeatedly inflicting their harmful behaviour on people and property.
Last month, the Government marked progress towards delivery of the Guarantee, with a dozen forces now having in place named, contactable officers in every neighbourhood, and an increase in the number of officers to patrol in town centres and other hotspot areas. We must now keep up the momentum to deliver on this important commitment.
Under the previous government, all forces received at least £1 million to fund more police patrols in areas with high levels of ASB, funding that this Government confirmed for a further year.
The national roll-out of this ASB hotspot model followed a successful PCC-led pilot in 10 police force areas, and it is already bearing fruit around the country, with many communities seeing more arrests and a reduction in ASB.
Throughout the summer across England and Wales, PCCs, police forces and other partners have been supporting the Home Office’s Safer Streets summer push, focusing hard on addressing crime and anti-social behaviour so that communities and town centres can thrive and prosper.
In Gloucestershire, one aspect my local force has been targeting is something that will be increasingly familiar to anyone in a town or city: illegal and dangerous use of e-scooters and e-bikes, which we know can be linked to street crime and shop theft.
The force’s drone unit is helping from the air, spotting those at street level who are causing havoc and risking the safety of themselves and others, while neighbourhood officers are educating riders on what is legal and what is not. Those found to be riding illegal e-scooters and e-bikes face a £300 fine and points on their driving licence, and their vehicle is seized and destroyed.
The laws around e-bikes and e-scooters certainly need clarifying, but there is also little doubt many are wilfully flouting the law to the detriment and risk of those around them, and police need to identify and investigate them.
PCCs working to find sustainable solutions
In a few areas, including my own, the PCC’s office has taken over the ASB case review process, which gives those dissatisfied with how their complaints about ASB have been handled a right to request a multi-agency review of their case.
Should the request reach the threshold for review – normally three or more complaints in a six-month period – relevant agencies work together to produce an action plan to end the behaviour.
- This article first appeared in Policing Insight