Anti-social behaviour

Anti-social behaviour can include:

• Acts of violence
• Drug misuse and alcohol-related nuisance
• Hate incidents motivated by someone’s age, disability, faith, sexual orientation or race
• Noise nuisance at high levels or unreasonable hours
• Vandalism and graffiti
• Environmental health issues such as rubbish dumping
• Dog fouling, uncontrolled and noisy pets
• Inconsiderate or dangerous parking and abandoned cars

 

It’s important to bear in mind that behaviours that appear anti-social may just be a result of differing lifestyles.

 

The following examples are not considered anti-social behaviour:

• Noise from children when they are playing
• Family disputes
• Babies crying
• Smells from cooking
• Sounds of normal day to day living that we can hear such as opening and closing of doors, going up and down stairs
• One-off parties such as BBQs, birthday or Christmas parties providing they don’t cause an unacceptable disturbance
• Clashes of lifestyle, including cultural differences
• Minor personal differences such as fall outs between children
• Putting rubbish out on the wrong day
• Parking in the wrong bay

 

When the behaviour first occurs, it is good to make your neighbour aware it is causing a nuisance and let them know the impact it is having. However, we understand that in some circumstances this may not be possible, so do not put yourself at risk.

 

If you are experiencing issues with your neighbour, we ask you consider the following before reporting to us:

• Is the behaviour a one-off?
• Are there factors in your life impacting your usual tolerance levels?
• Is this something you can safely raise with your neighbours to make them aware?
• Is the behaviour a result of being indoors for long periods?

 

Will you tell them that I have complained about them?

We won’t tell them without your permission, and if you would rather call us to make a complaint anonymously, you can but it will restrict the action we can take. We are unable to stop them from making their own assumptions regarding who raised the complaint.

 

Although it rarely happens, if the case does progress to court we may ask you to be a named witness. 

 

What should I do if I feel my personal safety is at risk?

If your personal safety or the safety of others could be at risk, you should call 101 or 999 in an emergency and seek police assistance. The police will then have a record of the event which they can share with us if necessary.

 

If your efforts of contacting your neighbour do not improve the situation, then you can report to us using your online account.