Anti-social behaviour
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Anti-social behaviour is a broad term used to describe incidents of crime, nuisance and disorder which causes individuals or groups to feel harassment, alarm or distress. As the behaviours attributed to this term are so varied the responsibility for addressing anti-social behaviour are shared between different agencies including the police, housing providers, and the local authority.
We define anti-social behaviour as behaviour that:
- results or is likely to result in another party feeling threatened or harassed
- creates a public nuisance
- has a detrimental impact on the environment
- has a detrimental impact on the quality of life or an individual or a community
What types of anti-social behaviour can the Council assist with?
- threatening or intimidating behaviour
- accumulations of waste
- littering
- graffiti
- anti-social noise (persistent shouting, abuse, music noise)
- dog fouling
- vehicle related nuisance (repairing vehicles on the road)
- untidy gardens
- alarms
- frequent bonfires
Emergencies
If the antisocial behaviour puts you, your family or your property in immediate danger, you should contact the police on 999.
If you have witnessed a crime (non-emergency) please contact the police on 101 or report it online here: Report a crime | Thames Valley Police
Housing Provider Tenants
If you are a housing association tenant, your housing provider has a responsibility to respond to your concerns relating to or around your property. Information on reporting this to them, and the action they can take should be found on their respective website or by contacting their local office. Please see your registered housing providers website to report anti-social behaviour below:
Where you have reported anti-social behaviour to your housing association following their formal complaints procedure and you are unhappy about your final response you can report this to Housing Ombudsman Service (England) to review how the landlord responded to your report. For more information, please see the Housing Ombudsman Service here.
Behaviours the Council cannot address
Drug use
Cannabis or any other type of drug possession, use or distribution are criminal matters that you should report to Thames Valley police. Please use the non-emergency 101 line or visit Thames Valley Police website to report this.
Boundary, Land Ownership or Rights of Access disputes
We would advise you to speak directly with your neighbour to address these issues in the first instance. You can also make contact with a solicitor or can contact citizens advice to talk it through with a local advisor.
Noise from children playing within residential areas
Children playing within residential areas would not be classified as anti-social behaviour unless there is evidence of verbal abuse, intimidation and or criminal damage taking place.
Nuisance parking
Where vehicles are dangerously parked, blocking a junction or emergency crossing this should be reported to the police.
If there are issues with parking on private property, private car parks or residential estates you should contact the landowner, managing agent or housing association.
Everyday living noises
We understand that noise from neighbours can be upsetting at times and can have a real impact on the comfort and peace you enjoy within your home. However, we cannot investigate ordinary household living noises such as footsteps, doors closing, children playing or typical use of a household appliance. Where noise cannot be shown to be severe, deliberate and unreasonable (for example frequent loud music, shouting, harassment with malicious intent) the Council has no enforcement powers to intervene. We understand how frustrating this may be, but a certain level of everyday living noise must be expected in most homes particularly in shared or multi-storey buildings.
Mediation
If you are in dispute with your neighbour but are struggling to resolve the issue, then you may wish to try mediation.
In many cases of anti-social behaviour mediation can be an effective tool solving the issue by bringing all parties to the table. This can be highly effective for neighbourly disputes such as noise complaints or lifestyle differences and/or other situations where it can be difficult to identify the perpetrator and the victim. It will not be for an intermediary to determine a solution but to organise the conversation and assist those parties involved to find a solution that can be agreed to. A mediator can then put together an agreement that can formalise what has been agreed.
Alternatives to Conflict
Alternatives to Conflict is an organisation that provides free mediation services to help resolve neighbourly disputes. The service is confidential and neutral and can help residents find solutions to ongoing neighbourly disputes.
For further details on mediation and the services available, please visit the Alternatives to Conflict website.
ASB Case Review
Case Review Referral Form
(Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014)
The case review process provides victims of persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) the right to request a formal review of their case when they feel that agencies/organisations have not taken effective action. This process is designed to bring together local organisations to share information, to assess actions that have already been taken, and to agree on a coordinated plan to resolve issues. The criterion for calling a review is as follows:
Three reports from one person within a six-month period made to either, the local council, police or a registered social housing provider where the individual considers that no effective action has been taken.
OR
Five reports from different people within a six-month period, where an individual or collective feels that no effective action has been taken.
‘No effective action’ means:
1. Reported problems have not been acknowledged – i.e., no one contacted the
complainant to advise what action would be taken.
2. Reported problems have not been appropriately investigated.
3. Victim’s vulnerability and/or potential for harm has not been considered, and this has affected potential service delivery.
4. No action has been taken because information has not been shared between partners, and this has affected potential service delivery.
To request a case review, please complete our online webform here
Alternatively, you can also request a PDF version of this form to return to ers@publicagroup.uk or post to:
West Oxfordshire District Council
Woodgreen
New Yatt Road
Witney, Oxfordshire
OX28 1PB
Tel: 01993 861000
Email: ers@publicagroup.uk