The report out today by The Commissioner for England and Wales Helen Newlove says that people persistently targeted by perpetrators are left to suffer in silence amid shortcomings in the response by agencies including the police and councils.
Since her husband’s death in 2007, Baroness Newlove has tirelessly championed measures to cut anti-social behaviour. This report takes her back to the crime that placed her into the public eye, following the murder of husband Garry in an escalation of violence.
“A gang targeted my ordinary working family living in an ordinary street in an ordinary neighbourhood with a campaign of vandalism and violence. It culminated with Garry being kicked to death on our doorstep. It seems implausible that 12 years later, I am still writing about anti-social behaviour. But the truth is, depressingly little has changed.”Baroness Newlove said when launching the report
“ASB is often downplayed as a petty, ‘low-level’ crime. But put yourself in their shoes – to suffer from ASB is an ordeal that causes misery, disturbs sleep, anxiety, work and relationships – leaving victims feeling unsafe and afraid in their own homes. It can feel like you are living a nightmare.
“I want this report to be a catalyst for change. I strongly believe if we crack down on ASB, empower victims by informing them of their rights and give powers to police, councils and housing providers to investigate and take rigorous action, it can reduce ASB and stop it spiralling into violence and worse.”
The Victims’ Commissioner found examples of police and council staff failing to appreciate the cumulative impact of persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) on its victims – with each incident being treated in isolation and the underlying causes being ignored.
She also found evidence of a culture of playing-down ASB as being ‘low-level’; which in turn was leading to a failure to recognise the impact it was having on its victims’ – including their mental health, their ability to hold down employment or the strain on their family relationships.
Police, local authorities and community agencies, such as social housing landlords, all have responsibility to tackle anti-social behaviour by working together to help victims. Yet the report found victims being passed from one to another, leaving them feeling as if no one is listening.
The report shows that many police forces, councils and Police and Crime Commissioners make no reference to the statutory Community Trigger mechanism used to resolve ASB (see foot note below) on their websites. Some victims found that police and council staff had never even heard of the Trigger.
The report was produced in partnership with ASB Help and Nottingham Trent University.
