Communities urged take a stand against anti-social behaviour as UK marks ASB Awareness Week 2022

Government launches guidelines to protect victims of ASB and make communities safer

The government has launched new guidelines to encourage more people to take a stand against anti-social behaviour and help make communities safer.

The Home Office is using the launch of ASB Awareness Week to publish a new set of Anti-Social Behaviour Principles, aimed at encouraging more people to report anti-social behaviour, improving partnership working between different agencies and protecting victims.

Latest polling from YouGov shows that more than half of people (56%) believe that ‘more needs to be done’ to tackle ASB in their community. However, after they witnessed or experienced ASB, a similar proportion of the public (57%) said that they did not report it to anyone.

The Principles make it clear that victims should be encouraged to report ASB and can expect to be taken seriously when they do. They also call for much clearer pathways for reporting incidents, and ensure perpetrators have an opportunity to repair the harm they cause.  

The guidelines are being backed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, National Fire Chiefs’ Council, Local Government Association, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the Office of the Victims Commissioner, Historic England, along with community safety groups Resolve and ASB Help. 

Stakeholders involved with dealing with anti-social behaviour in communities across the country are being asked to sign up to the Principles as part of a week of action to highlight the devastating impact of ASB.

Running from July 18 to 22, ASB Awareness Week 2022 aims to encourage communities to come together to take a stand against ASB and understand how they can report and deal with issues where they live.

Organised by Resolve, the UK’s leading ASB and community safety organisation, the week features a series of events all across the UK involving councils, police forces, housing associations, charities, community groups and sports clubs.

“ASB is not low-level crime. It can have a long-lasting impact on the lives of victims and communities and can be a precursor to more serious crime,” said Rebecca Bryant OBE, Chief Executive of Resolve.

“It is important that the challenge of ASB continues to be given the priority it needs so that people everywhere feel safe in their homes and communities.  

“We are delighted to be supporting the launch of the new ASB Principles, which will encourage the development of partnership approaches across communities to deal with the growing challenges around ASB.”

Commenting, Minister for Safeguarding, Amanda Solloway said: "Anti-social behaviour is a blight on communities, and we must not tolerate law-abiding citizens suffering as a result of the actions of a selfish minority.

"It is clear that we all have a role to play. I am pleased to be launching our new Anti-Social Behaviour Principles, a commitment from the Beating Crime Plan, which will help to galvanise action on this issue and level up communities, making them peaceful places to live and work."

There will be lots of activities throughout ASB Awareness Week, including:

• The launch of the new ASB Principles in Parliament bringing together key voices from across the sector and leading political figures on Monday 18 July
• A Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on Wednesday 20 July led by Jacob Young MP.
• Resolve publishing new YouGov research highlighting the impact of ASB on local communities.
• Organisations including Neighbourhood Watch groups holding meetings to discuss ASB as part of the World’s Biggest Community Safety Meeting.
• A range of local events and interventions in every corner of the UK from police forces, fire services, councils and housing associations
• A social media takeover by local ASB practitioners using the #ASBAwarenessWeek hashtag.
• Resolve’s Annual Conference.

Resolve is urging members of the public not to suffer in silence if they experience ASB. Incidents can be reported to the anti-social behaviour team at the local council or housing association, or to the police if people feel that they are at immediate risk or in danger.

For more information about ASB Awareness Week – visitwww.resolveuk.org.uk/asbawarenessweek