Surrey Police looks back on Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week

Last week, Surrey Police supported Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Awareness Week, highlighting how we work with partners to tackle, resolve and reduce ASB in Surrey.

A whole host of events took place across the week including; targeted ASB patrols in hotspot areas, Meet the Beat events where residents could discuss local ASB issues, joint meetings and events with partners including borough councils and housing associations, youth engagement activities with dedicated patrols around schools, and much more.

 

Across our social media channels, we shared information and guidance on what ASB is, where and how to report incidents, and signposted to support services available to victims. We also equipped our teams with branded selfie frames to get people chatting and bring the real-life conversations they were having onto our social media pages, encouraging continued discussion and awareness.

Joanna Grimshaw, Head of ASB and Partnerships at Surrey Police, said: “Anti-social Behaviour Awareness week provides us with the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the work that we carry out all year round.  

"We are committed to reducing ASB in Surrey and earlier this year around 2,000 residents completed a survey giving their views on ASB as part of a project to strengthen the response that communities receive. 

"ASB is not a low-level crime and can have a huge impact on communities and individuals. If you are experiencing anti-social behaviour, please don’t suffer in silence. We need victims to report the behaviour so we can work with our partners to tackle and resolve the issues. 

"If you have reported an incident three or more times in six months and feel you are not being listened to or that the issues are still happening or escalating, you are entitled to ask for a review of your case. This is called the ASB Case Review, and you can activate it through your Local Authority."

In the last year we have issued 61 Closure Orders, 2 Criminal Behaviour Orders, 30 Reactive Dispersal Orders, 1 ASB Injunction and over 450 warning letters. 

We’ve seen some great results from the use of warning letters and visits to offenders of ASB. Discussing the impact they are having on their neighbours or community often helps the offender to recognise their behaviour, and most of the time this interaction helps to decrease or stop the ASB. However, where offenders continue to cause ASB we will apply for court orders to imposed conditions on the offenders which, if breached, will result in an arrest and could see them serving a custodial sentence. These options and tools also help to provide some respite to residents and communities affected by the behaviour.

 

It can be really confusing for victims to work out which agency is responsible for tackling each of the different types of ASB. 

If you are a victim of ASB or know someone who is being exploited in your area, please report it. For more information on the options available to you, please visit: www.healthysurrey.org.uk/your-health/community-safety/asb