Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour
Anti-Social Behaviour
We believe that everyone has the right to live peacefully in their home and community, so say no to anti-social behaviour.
Your Tenancy
Help Keep Your Community Peaceful
We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe in their home and neighbourhood. We take seriously all incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls. Our policies relating to these are available to download at the end of this section.
What is anti-social behaviour?
The Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 defines anti-social behaviour (ASB) as:
- Conduct that has caused or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to any person;
- Conduct that is capable of causing a nuisance or annoyance to a person in relation to that person’s occupation of residential premises;
- Conduct capable of causing housing related nuisance or annoyance to any person.
ASB may include but is not limited to:
- Aggressive and offensive behaviour including verbal abuse, insults, bullying, shouting, swearing, threatening behaviour;
- Noise nuisance (e.g. music, shouting);
- Drugs and alcohol related incidents;
- Litter/rubbish/fly-tipping/graffiti;
- Misuse of common areas;
- Intimidation and harassment;
- Hate crime;
- Violence against people or property;
- Domestic Abuse or violence against women and girls (including psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse).
Incidents of domestic abuse or domestic violence will be dealt with under our Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls Policy (see link below).
What are Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls?
We have adopted the Home Office (2013) definition of Domestic Abuse which is:
“ any incident or pattern of incidents or controlling, coercive or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality”
Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) refers to crimes which disproportionately are experienced by women and girls, this includes domestic abuse, sexual offences, female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, honour based violence, trafficking, prostitution.
Reporting Anti- Social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse or Violence against Women and Girls
Incidents may be reported in any way you choose; for example:
- In person at our office or to a member of staff;
- By email to bcha@bcivic.co.uk
- By letter to our office address;
- During a home visit;
- By phone on 0121 382 5105;
- On-line via our web site
- Via a third party or organisation acting on your behalf.
How We Will Respond?
Our response will depend on the seriousness of the incident/s and the individual circumstances of the complainant and the alleged perpetrator. Investigation of the complaint will involve speaking to the complainant.
We will prioritise our response as follows:
High Priority: ASB targeted at an individual or group with high risk of causing harassment, alarm or distress, such as hate crime, violence, aggressive and threatening behaviour. Contact will be made with the complainant by the end of the next working day.
All reports of domestic abuse or violence against women and girls will be awarded High Priority with a response within 1 working day.
Medium Priority: ASB causing annoyance to the neighbours and the wider community such as rowdy behaviour, noise, loud music, misuse of common areas. Contact will be made with the complainant within 6 working days.
Low Level: ASB impacting on the environment such as rubbish, fly-tipping, graffiti. Contact will be made with the complainant within 12 working days.
How can we help?
We will:
- help and support our tenants who are victims of anti-social behaviour
- help support tenants who are victims of domestic abuse or violence
- Work with the police and other agencies to resolve incidents of ASB, domestic abuse and violence
- Use legal and non-legal remedies available to take action against the perpetrators of ASB, domestic abuse and violence against women and girls, this may include taking legal action to evict the perpetrator from their home
Your safety and security is important to us. If you witness any anti-social behaviour that involves criminal activity you must report it to the police. If it is an emergency and requires an immediate response dial 999, however, non-urgent crimes can be reported on 101.