Antisocial behaviour (ASB)

The council works with the police and other agencies to tackle antisocial behaviour and reduce crime and the fear of crime.

Report antisocial behaviour

You can report antisocial behaviour in a number of different ways.

If the antisocial behaviour is caused through noise, flytipping, or litter please contact the council's Environmental Health service on 01491 823000
If the behaviour is caused through a disturbance, vandalism or criminal damage, please contact Thames Valley Police either by phone on 0845 8 505 505 or by the link in the right hand column at 'Community Safety- useful contacts'.
Alternatively, use the Antisocial behaviour report form . Please note the form will be dealt with during office hours, or contact Community Safety during office hours.

If the incident needs immediate attention by the police, please dial 999.

What is classed as antisocial behaviour?

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 defines antisocial behaviour as, 'behaving in a manner that causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress to one or more persons not of the same household as them.' This could include:

Threats, intimidation and violence towards residents and passers-by
Verbal abuse
Criminal damage
Noise nuisance
Substance misuse
Neighbour noise nuisance
Joy-riding
Begging
Vehicle related nuisance
Smoking or drinking alcohol under age and/or in non designated areas
Throwing missiles
Vandalism
Graffiti
Groups of rowdy youths
Racism
Abandoned vehicles.

The South Oxfordshire Antisocial Behaviour Team,(ASB team) based in the council offices, works very closely with Housing Associations, the Council's Housing, Environmental Services and Public amenities teams, schools, Oxfordshire County Council's Youth Service and Youth Offending Service(YOS) and parish councils, to tackle antisocial behaviour.

The ASB team is made up of the council's Community Safety and Antisocial behaviour officer, Thames Valley Police ASB Officer and Thames Valley Police ASB assistant.

The options to deal with reports of incidents may include working with other agencies on acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) and antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) which can help to effectively address the problems of antisocial behaviour.

Positive activities

Where groups of young people appear to be taking part in antisocial activities on a regular basis, the council, police, youth services and others may work together to identify programmes of positive activities to divert the group. The team may also arrange for Restorative Justice sessions where the victim and the perpetrator of the antisocial behaviour are brought together to discuss the effects of the behaviour on the victim. This often results in the 'offending' being reduced or stopped altogether.

Warning letters

In the early stages of the case, the team may agree to deal with reported incidents of antisocial behaviour by issuing warning letters to the perpetrators. If the perpetrators are under eighteen, their parents will also receive letters.

What is an Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC)?

An ABC is an informal agreement between a person responsible for antisocial behaviour and the Police and partners e.g. housing association etc. The perpetrator is requested to sign a contract stating that they will not take part in specific activities for six months. Support to the perpetrator and/ or their family is offered where it may be appropriate eg help in job seeking, parental support.

If the perpetrator adheres to the agreement a final interview may provide the appropriate feedback and no more action is taken.

What happens if the contract is broken?
If the perpetrator breaches the ABC, the partners invite him or her to another interview to remind them of the contract.

In all cases they will have been warned that a breach of the ABC may be used as evidence for an ASBO or other legal intervention. In some cases, where the person is a housing association tenant, a breach could lead to an eviction order as taking part in antisocial behaviour is also a breach of their tenancy contract.

What are antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs)?
An ASBO is the last stage of the process to tackle antisocial behaviour after warning letters, mediation, ABCs and other relevant interventions have failed to stop the behaviour. An ASBO is valid for a minimum of two years. If the perpetrator breaches an ASBO they may be arrested with a maximum prison sentence of five years.

What happens when ASB is reported?

When residents complain to the council or the police about antisocial behaviour, the complaint is passed to the South Oxfordshire Antisocial Behaviour team (ASB team).

The ASB team will usually ask the complainant to complete a diary of incidents over a short period of time, perhaps a month.

When the completed diary is returned to the ASB team they will review the reports and may then ask Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to make regular patrols of the area where incidents are happening.

The PCSOs will try to talk to the people taking part in the antisocial behaviour activities, and encourage them to change their behaviour.

The ASB team will take action if the behaviour continues, using the diary of incidents and the information the PCSOs gathered during their patrols, as evidence.

The ASB team may send out warning letters to the people taking part in antisocial activities. They may, along with any other partners who may be involved, for example Housing Association or school staff, will invite the people to a meeting where they will all agree and sign an acceptable behaviour contract.

If these measures fail to stop the behaviour the partners will agree alternative solutions. These may include mediation, injunctions and other relevant interventions.

An antisocial behaviour order(ASBO) is usually the last stage of the process and is only used when all other solutions have failed to stop the antisocial behaviour.

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