Organisations across Derbyshire are joining the UK’s first official Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week to take a stand in making communities safer.
Derbyshire Constabulary, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, city, borough and district councils, Derbyshire Victim Support and ourselves are among those who have signed the ASB Help Pledge showing their commitment to tackling the issue.
Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week runs from 19 to 25 July 2021 and aims to bring people and organisations together in tackling anti-social behaviour on the streets of Derbyshire.
The national campaign is supported by the Home Office and is hosted by Resolve, a Centre of Excellence solely focused upon community safety and anti-social behaviour.
Throughout this dedicated week of action, representatives from the police, fire service, local councils and housing associations will be raising awareness of anti-social behaviour and how to tackle these incidents.
Working together with local communities, they aim to educate residents of Derbyshire on the fine balance between tolerance, respect and enforcement, along with signposting the correct reporting methods for different types of anti-social behaviour incidents and showcasing the support available for victims.
An online ASB Hub toolkit has also been created which features a range of information on what anti-social behaviour is, which agency to report it to, how organisations tackle these behaviours and support that is available.
The term anti-social behaviour is used to describe the day-to-day incidents of crime, nuisance and disorder. It’s an activity that can make people’s lives a misery and can have a severe impact on the local community, ranging from litter and vandalism, to public drunkenness or aggressive dogs, to noisy or abusive neighbours.
Officers from Derbyshire Constabulary will also be out on patrol around specific areas, to combat any unwanted behaviour on our streets.
Derbyshire Constabulary’s Assistant Chief Constable Michelle Shooter said:
“Anti-social behaviour is not just about graffiti or noisy neighbours, they are incidents that can ruin lives and shatter local communities.
“Everyone has a responsibility and a part to play in making our communities a safe place. We are responsible for our behaviour, both at home and in our neighbourhoods, and all we ask is for people to be considerate to others and respect the spaces around where we live.
“If someone in your neighbourhood is causing a nuisance, make sure to report it. Everyone deserves to feel safe where we live and we rely on you to help us.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our partner agencies in joining us on this campaign and for the ongoing work taking place across Derbyshire, improving and enhancing our communities, and quality of life for our local people.”
Councillor Carol Hart, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, added:
“We’re committed to working together to help make Derbyshire communities safer by tackling issues that matter to residents which is why we’ve signed up to the ASB Help Pledge.
“A lot of things, like teenagers meeting in groups or children playing in the street, are not necessarily anti-social behaviour. But problems that happen frequently over a long period of time and cause alarm, distress or harassment could be.
“We understand this kind of behaviour may upset you and it can sometimes be difficult to know who to report it to so that’s why we’ve created a handy guide to help residents understand where to get support so they can feel safe where they live.”
Station Manager Darren Perrott said:
“In 2019/20 firefighters responded to 874 deliberate fires across Derbyshire which not only tied up our resources, affecting our ability to respond to more serious incidents like house fires or road traffic accidents, but also had a social and environmental impact on our communities.
“For this reason, we’ve begun to provide an anonymous scheme, FireStoppers, where our communities can help us gather intelligence. Through the scheme, we hope to see a positive impact on the number of deliberate fires we are called to attend in the future.”
Derbyshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said:
“Anti-social behaviour or ASB is not ‘just a low-level crime’. It is not acceptable and I will do everything I can to support the work of the police and partners to tackle the problem.
“I promised to prioritise neighbourhood crime such as anti-social behaviour and I will support and invest in local prevention schemes in order to improve the quality of life for Derbyshire and Derby City residents.”
Anti-social behaviour covers a wide range of problems and because of this, the agency that people should speak to varies, such as the local council, housing association or the police.
Find out more about reporting anti-social behaviour.
